Secrets and Lies
by 10Blue10
Summary: (Book Seven) A year after Hiccup's 'murder', people are still keeping secrets and telling lies. Astrid is trying to keep her husband in hiding, despite his unintentional attempts to the contrary. Trappers from the Med catch wind of a certain breeding pair of rare dragons in the North, and come for them, but their captain has another secret to uncover. Also, Snotlout likes Fishlegs.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

A/N: I'm back! From Croatia, as a matter of fact. It was very nice, thank you for asking. Have a new story, yay! This one turned out to be more of an exposition-dump, I'm afraid. Sorry about that. Also, just so there's no confusion later, I went back and made it so Harald's imprisoned crew – and Savage – escape Berserker Island and break Adulfr out of prison.

Secrets and Lies

Chapter One

The word spread almost straightaway. Gossip and rumour and hearsay trickling down from the barbarian north, muttered about in taverns and whispered in alleyways. The men who had been there were constantly pressed for details, and they were more than happy to tell the story over and over, adding their own embellishments as they saw fit. Eventually, the only part their rambling tales had in common was that the so-called Dragon Whisperer, Hiccup Haddock, was dead.

Of course, the reaction of most people when they heard the news was "Who's dead?" A lot of people had _heard_ of the Dragon Whisperer, but most of them thought the man was a myth. It didn't help that all of the bounty hunters who had seen him die claimed that _they_ had been the one to kill him, usually by fighting their way past an army of dragons singlehandedly. Nobody believed Amos when he said he'd killed the Dragon Whisperer, much to his chagrin.

Even those who knew who the Dragon Whisperer was weren't sure whether to believe the tale. How could a man who commanded dragons have been killed? Then again, seven years ago they would have said the same about Drago Bludvist, and look what happened to him.

Of the ones who did believe the rumours, most of them wondered how they could take advantage of the man's death. There were all those islands full of dragons to be captured and slain or sold; the Dragon Whisperers followers couldn't keep an eye on all of their archipelago. Maybe they could even take over his home island, Nerk or whatever it was called, if enough of them banded together. That guy who had tried to invade the archipelago a few years before had disappeared from prison, so maybe they could get with him.

Hiccup's allies found out too. The chieftains of neighbouring tribes had been let in on the ruse, if only so Hiccup wouldn't have to be left out of the Althing's held on Berk. Everyone else, though, thought the man was dead, and sent Astrid their condolences. Further afield, word reached Iceland. When Isak heard the news, he was shocked…and more than a little suspicious. He didn't believe for a moment that Hiccup would have been defeated as easily as it appeared. People were so gullible, these days.

As for Mik and his friends, they were outraged. Mik protested that they had to _do_ something, avenge Hiccup somehow. Ragnar sternly insisted there was nothing they could do…and then did his best to comfort his son when Mik complained that it wasn't fair _,_ they'd _liked_ Hiccup. _I can't tell him the truth_ the chieftain thought sadly, as his son grieved. He had told Ormar, his trusted right-hand man, but if anyone else found out, the ruse to protect Hiccup and his people would fail.

When Johann overheard the rumours, he honestly couldn't believe his ears. Hiccup, dead? He fervently hoped that it was just some tall tale – it wasn't as if he was unfamiliar with those. Johann decided not to tell Klaus the bad news, if it were even true; there was no sense in worrying the poor boy sleepless over the possible death of a man he had just recently begun to admire.

* * *

Faking his own death had seemed like such a good idea at the time. That was a lie; he'd known even then that the plan had drawbacks. Still, it had been the only foolproof plan he'd been able to think of. Hiccup had been 'killed' late that spring; now, it was nearly autumn, and he had to face the truth – that pretending to be dead wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

It was too early to tell if phase two of the plan – the part where people stopped trying to capture and/or kill him – was working or not. Sure, there hadn't been any attempts since his 'murder', but then maybe people just weren't stupid enough to try and sail this far north when it was nearing winter.

The worst part had to be that he was still looking over his shoulder. Gunnhild had sent word that Adulfr had escaped his imprisonment, which meant that he might come back to Berk and try to take it over, now that his enemy was supposedly dead. Toothless had already decided that if Adulfr _did_ show his face, the Night Fury would kill him.

"You do realise that's how we got into this mess, right?" Hiccup had snarked at him when Toothless first told him of his intentions.

*I won't risk our pack – I won't risk _you_ – by letting that monster live. Hiccup, you know as well as I do that Adulfr has to go. Don't you remember what your dad says? Men who kill without* -

"Reason cannot be reasoned with" Hiccup finished off, "I know, but _everyone_ has a reason for what they do. It's just that people like Drago, Adulfr and Harald have really terrible reasons for doing what they do."

*Do you seriously think you can talk him down? Hiccup, he raised an _army_ to destroy everything we care about because we wronged him by killing one person, who tried to kill us, without even knowing Adulfr existed! This human is not sane, Hiccup. I can't believe you'd even think about showing him mercy* Toothless growled, claws kneading furrows into the dirt.

Hiccup felt his frustration rising, and realised in the nick of time that they were in danger of falling into a vicious circle. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, counting them. When he got to twenty, he was losing count and a lot calmer. "I'm sorry, bud" he sighed, sitting down on a rock. "I know you mean well, but even if you kill him, people will still blame me…besides, like Dagur says, it's a slippery slope. I don't want to be the sort of man who kills my enemies just because. I know Adulfr is too dangerous, and he probably can't be reasoned with…but I still…I need killing him to be a last resort, not the first one."

Toothless crooned _apology_ and nuzzled him. *If you think you can talk him down, you should try, but if not…I don't care what anyone else thinks. I have to protect you, to protect all of us. If it helps, you can pretend to try and stop me so witnesses think I was acting out of your control* he suggested.

Hiccup chuckled a bit. "I think they're gonna be mad no matter what we do" he sighed, stroking Toothless' head. "C'mon – I need to fly!"

*Happy to oblige!* Toothless warbled joyfully, tossing Hiccup onto his back and launching into the air.

* * *

None of this was to say he was unhappy. He and Toothless could spend more time with Helena and Ebony, for one thing. Hiccup was teaching his daughter to read, and he'd even taught Toothless a little bit as well. They had begun to teach their daughters to swim in the cove lake, warming the water with plenty of dragonfire just enough to not be too cold or too hot. Hiccup was also spending time with Skulder, talking about all the places he'd been.

Berk's new resident cryptid expert; well, okay, its only cryptid expert; eventually caught on that Hiccup's 'way' with dragons was more than it seemed. Seeing Hiccup pay attention when dragons came to him and Toothless, nodding and even replying to their gestures and cries. Overhearing villagers ask him to tell them what their dragon was saying, or scold the dragon for some wrongdoing because they just wouldn't listen to anyone else.

At first, Skulder thought Hiccup must have figured out the dragon's language, but he couldn't recall Hiccup ever speaking in anything but Norse. His curiosity finally got the better of him, and he worked up the courage to ask Hiccup about it directly. After swearing Skulder to secrecy, Hiccup told him some of the truth; that dragons were telepathic, and he could understand them. When Skulder learned of his strange gift for translating, he wrote a few words in a different language. That was how they learned that the 'magic translator' did not work for written words. "Well, I'd be happy to teach you to read them sometime. Might come in handy" Skulder had generously offered.

Skulder had been given a job at the Academy, teaching dragon anatomy. He taught alongside his old friend and former shipmate Heyral, who taught classes on the care of baby dragons. The fierce warrior had once been known as 'Heyral the Bloodthirsty, scourge of dragons', but all that changed when Skulder convinced him to come exploring, five years before the war ended.

Skulder and his friends had made camp on an unfamiliar island in the south-east of the archipelago. Whilst he hunted for boar, Heyral was attacked by a Deadly Nadder. He fought the dragon and killed it, like he'd always done, only to hear a strange rustling and cheeping from the undergrowth. His curiosity got the better of him, and when he looked closer, he discovered a hollow in the rock with three baby Nadders huddled inside.

It was then that Heyral realised that the dragon he'd just slain had only been trying to defend her nest, and now her hatchlings were orphaned. Ashamed by what he'd done, Heyral vowed to defend the baby Nadders until they were big enough to fend for themselves, to earn back his honour as a Viking. That time gave him invaluable knowledge of the care of baby dragons, knowledge he now passed on to both the older and younger generation of Berk.

After eighteen years of exploring and studying cryptids, Skulder had books chock full of notes and sketches of dragon species from across the world. No-one on Berk had taken such a close interest in dragon anatomy, either before or after the end of the war. Skulder proved that dragon wings were adapted forelegs, with a shoulder, elbow, wrist and elongated 'fingers', the spars that supported the membrane. Hiccup took a particular interest in the wings, his mind immediately filling with ideas on how to design a new and improved flight suit. Not that he mentioned this to anyone at first…

"See, what fascinates me about dragons, more than any other cryptid, is that they're all so diverse and unique on the outside, and yet on the inside, they're really not that different from each other – or from us, in a lot of ways. Of course, they're also nothing like us at all – for one thing, they breathe fire."

Dragons had a fuel sac, a thick-membraned cavity between the stomach and lungs, just below the breastbone. As the dragon breathed, the fuel sac (so-called because it was filled with the fuel for the dragons fire) would be squeezed between the lungs, heart and ribs over and over, keeping up the pressure and thus the heat. This was the 'heart fire' warmth that made leaning back against your dragons chest so pleasant in the chilly winters. A third tube in the neck beside the windpipe and gullet, dubbed the 'fire-pipe', let the dragon breathe it out, igniting the fuel either from sucking in air, as Toothless did, or from a spark made in the back of the throat.

The one thing Skulder hadn't been able to figure out was where they got the fuel from. When pressed on the matter, he had shrugged helplessly and suggested, "Their food, perhaps? Or…magic?"

* * *

Whereas Bork and the other Vikings of Berk had grouped dragons based on similar abilities to form the seven dragon classes, Skulder took what he called a 'top down' approach and grouped dragons by their physical similarities. He grouped them first by the number of limbs they possessed (wings counted too), then by neck length (short or long), wing shape, and in the case of westerns, whether they had raised or lowered forelegs.

The idea was that the more traits the dragons in each group had in common, and the more traits each group had in common, the more closely related they were likely to be. Of course, it wasn't a perfect system, possibly because of various species going extinct or not being seen before they could be classified.

The largest and most diverse of the first four groups were the 'westerns', dragons with six limbs. This group included everything from Night Furies and Gronckles to Zipplebacks and Stormcutters. "I will admit, the dragons with more than one head did throw me for a while. I even considered putting them in their own group, the 'hydrans' – actually, I found evidence there were once hydras in Greece, before they were hunted to extinction by 'conquering heroes'. Still, there aren't really enough multi-headed dragons for it to be worth their having a separate group to themselves."

Then there were the two legged, two winged 'wyverns', like Nadders, Monstrous Nightmares, Skrills and Whispering Deaths. "They're called Spine-Twisters now, and they only have two wings" Hiccup explained/protested. Skulder had grinned and shown him a sketch of a Whispering Death skeleton, with a shrunken thigh bone and femur about where its hip would be. Clearly long ago its ancestors had been wyverns, so into that group it went.

The rarest group was the 'many-legged' group, the dragons with more than six limbs, from the eight limbed Singetail to the twelve limbed Firewyrm. The fourth group was the one that fascinated Hiccup the most – the easterns. Skulder had not travelled far in the East, but he had seen enough to know that the dragons there were unlike any that Hiccup and the riders had ever seen.

"The dragons of the East are worshipped by the people there. Beautiful, majestic creatures – I never had the privilege of seeing one with my own eyes, but their imagery is everywhere. I'd almost think them an entirely different kind of cryptid, but the culture insists they are dragons, so who am I to argue?"

He showed them a picture once, but a mere painting couldn't really do it justice, no matter how detailed. It depicted a sinuous creature with scales like fish, not lizards, and feet with talons like the largest hawk. A pair of antlers sprouted from its head, its wings were covered by what Skulder confirmed were feathers, and its long tail ended in a white plume of fur.

As if that wasn't enough, Skulder told them that the eastern dragons (or so he'd heard) did not breathe fire, but water. They presided over lakes and rivers, and were considered omens of good luck. "I wish I could have seen one in the flesh. I wouldn't even have wanted to study them, just to _see_ one would have been…it's a shame you can't see them either, Hiccup."

"…Oh, well, you never know. Maybe one day I will."

When Hiccup asked about his own dragon, Skulder explained that Toothless was a 'short-necked bat-winged prowling western' – or to be more exact, part of the group characterised by having short necks (duh), wing membranes that reached from the shoulder to the hip, and all four forelegs on the ground. Night Furies most closely resembled Sand Wraiths and Woolly Howls, but they also had traits in common with dragons such as Stormcutters and Thunderdrums. "Aww, you hear that, bud? You, Thornado and Cloud Jumper are really distant cousins!"

Toothless had just looked bored at that. *We'd be like cousins even if they looked nothing like me, they're family. It's what's on the inside that matters, not the outside* he declared rather profoundly…before spoiling the mood by hacking up some half-eaten fish for Ebony to slurp up.

There were also the 'bat-winged stalking westerns', like Chin-Spikes and Snafflefangs; the 'bird-winged prowling westerns', like Rock-Tails and Chargers; the 'bird-winged stalking westerns, like Sail-Backs and Lava-Eaters ; the 'short-necked wyverns' like Spike-Tails and Lightning-Fangs; and the 'long-necked wyverns' like Fire-Scales and Armorwings. "It's the many limbed dragons that are the hardest to figure out. Not only are they not like the other groups of dragons, they don't even have much in common with each other, except that they all have more than six limbs!" Skulder had said in exasperation.

* * *

Hanging out with Skulder, talking about dragons and cryptids and all the places the older man had been, was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because it helped take Hiccup's mind off things like Adulfr's escape, and a curse because of his natural curiosity and eagerness to explore. Hiccup knew that he had plenty of time, he could spend decades on Berk and still have time to explore so much of the world…but when he saw Skulder's maps and heard about different cultures, different dragons, the urge would creep in to fly out and see it all for himself. There was just so much interesting stuff out there!

Of course, he wouldn't go anywhere without Toothless, and his other half had no plans to fly anywhere beyond their territory anytime soon. This pleased Astrid, who got rather annoyed with Hiccup whenever she caught him poring over Skulder's maps. "You need to stop looking at those" she chastised him, "You're gonna drive yourself mad – well, madder – when you know damn well you can't visit anywhere on that map, at least not yet."

Hiccup sighed. "I know….maybe I'm just getting nostalgic, remembering when it was us exploring the archipelago, discovering new dragons…y'know, the good old days" he remarked.

Astrid gave him an incredulous stare. "The good old-? Hiccup, you have a beautiful wife and daughter, the respect of your entire tribe, and dragons literally bow at your feet. These _are_ your 'good old days'. _These_ are the days you're supposed to get nostalgic over – and you're not even thirty, how can you be getting nostalgic over anything?"

"I don't think nostalgia has an age limit, Astrid. And I was kidding."

"Could've fooled me. I'm serious, Hiccup; you have _everything_ here on Berk. What more do you want? Whatever it is you're looking for, it isn't out there, it's right" –

"Here?" he asked, catching her hand and holding it to his heart. Then he pressed a quick kiss to her knuckles. "I'm sorry, Astrid. I don't mean to…you're right, my life is wonderful, and I wouldn't give up you or Helena or any of this for the world. I promise." He sighed and confessed, "I guess I just can't help myself sometimes. You know what I'm like."

"Yeah, well, you're stuck here with us for now, so get used to it. If you want something to take your mind off your insatiable wanderlust, it's our anniversary soon" Astrid remarked.

"Oh…I knew that." She gave him a look. "Okay, no I didn't. But I do now! So, uh…do you want flowers, or something?"

Astrid rolled her eyes, muttered "why not?" and went to attend to her duties as chief, which basically consisted of walking into the village and waiting for people to come to her with problems. After she'd left, Hiccup turned to Toothless and asked confusedly, "What did I say?"

* * *

One of the downsides of pretending to be dead was that, unless they were in on the secret, Hiccup couldn't really have any visitors. Not that he'd been getting many visitors he didn't already know…He'd been hoping that someone, anyone, would work up the courage to visit Berk and talk to him and learn what dragons were really like, but it didn't look like that would happen anytime soon.

Still, it was really for the best if people believed he was dead. Then perhaps they wouldn't think he'd come after them all with an army of dragons, or worse, decide to get rid of the threat of him before he could do anything to them. Not that he _had_ or _would_ do anything, of course, but people did dangerous things when they were afraid; and people were afraid of dragons, and of him.

Hiccup really, really tried not to take it personally. In his head, he knew that centuries of prejudice, fear and hatred towards dragons couldn't be so easily undone on such a large scale in just a few years. In his heart, he saw the creatures – the _people_ – who had accepted him into their midst so easily being rejected, and destroyed, through no fault of their own.

The good news was, things were getting better, slowly. As Eret and his crew travelled around the north, they helped villages find ways to deter dragons that were safer for everyone. Things like planting peppermint around the borders of sheep paddocks (1) – dragons found the scent overpowering and nauseating – or putting a few common eels in with fish catches did wonders at keeping hungry dragons at bay without them getting hurt.

Most people weren't ready to live alongside dragons, let alone ride them, but some people were slowly but surely getting on board with the idea that if dragons could be befriended, they didn't deserve to be killed. At the very least, they were worth more alive than dead, even if Hiccup didn't like thinking of them that way, as just means to a profit.

"I still can't believe I used to think like that about them" Eret admitted when Hiccup brought it up one time. "Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and punch myself. Yet, it makes sense, when you think about it. Y'know how I said I was already trapping dragons when Drago 'hired' me? There's a reason I went into trapping and not hunting – there was more money in it, long term. See, business can be boiled down to supply and demand. What kind of brilliant business strategy involves literally killing off your supply? D'you think dragon hunters ever realise that if they keep hunting dragons to extinction, they're gonna put themselves out of a flipping job?!"

It appeared that the hunters had finally gotten the message. The _Crashing Tide_ crew first got wind of it when Aksel was in a market and came across someone selling "Dragon friendly claws and spikes! Get your dragon claw and dragon spike accessories here!"

Some careful questioning had revealed where the merchant had gotten these 'dragon friendly' severed claws and spikes. When the crew investigated, they discovered that dragons were being captured alive and 'harvested' – which meant having their claws, spikes, sometimes even a few of their fangs sawn off. The good news was that it would eventually grow back, but the poor dragons were left shaken and made vulnerable by the ordeal.

Eret and his crew shut down that enterprise, but it was only the first of many. Some might say that at least those dragons hadn't been killed, but Hiccup would say that a choice between being murdered and being mutilated wasn't really a choice at all. There was nothing 'dragon friendly' about this barbaric practice; dragons were still being treated like objects. It was all very well mocking dragon hunters, but the supply was only half the battle. They also needed to stop the demand for dead dragons, and that was having unintended consequences.

Hiccup could live with people not liking dragons. He could understand them fearing dragons. He just wanted humans and dragons to not hurt each other. Was that really too much to ask? He wished he could prove to everyone that there was so much more to dragons than they thought. Sure, they breathed fire, but fire didn't have to just destroy, it defended and cooked and warmed. Dragons could _fly_ – if people could just get a taste of that, that indescribable feeling that came with seeing the world from above, how could they fear dragons then? If they could only experience the loyalty a dragon partner would show, how could they see them as deserving of cruelty and death?

"I wish I could let all humans hear thought-speak, let them see how you guys aren't so different from us. Maybe we _should_ take over the world, bud. At least then we could make everyone play nice."

*I feel like that would end badly.*

* * *

One day after lunch, Astrid brought up another issue they'd thus far been avoiding. "I just keep thinking; we all joke that life and death situations are an occupational hazard for a Viking, but we can't control what happens…there's no guarantee that either of us will, y'know…and we both have a lot of responsibility. I just think we need a back-up in case the worst should happen" she explained to Hiccup, and by extension their parents.

There was a pause, and then Fredrick announced, "Well, that was a downer."

Agatha swatted him around the head. "Honestly, Fredrick! Our daughter is trying to talk to us about something very important here. Show a bit of respect!" she scolded. Then she turned to Astrid and implored her, "Don't listen to your father. He's an idiot."

"No, he's right. It isn't fun to think about this, but we need to. Hiccup, you and I both need second-in-commands to take over if either of us were to be incapacitated or killed" Astrid insisted, before rubbing her hands over her hair and complaining, "but I have no idea who that could be!"

Hiccup replied "I always thought, if the worst should happen, I'd take over as acting Chief in your absence. Isn't that what we agreed?"

"Yeah, but what about you and Toothless? What happens if you two…and even if nothing happens to you, you're not going to be here forever" she pointed out.

"Well, Cloud and Skull already do a good job as our second-in-commands, so I guess they'd take over if we weren't around" Hiccup shrugged. "I would ask Urchin, but the pack is kind of leery about the idea of him taking over as Alpha."

*With good reason* Toothless grunted. He knew that Urchin had been forced to be a tyrant, that the fault ultimately lay with Drago, but he still couldn't blame their pack – especially those who had been Urchin's former subjects – for being wary of the Sea-Giant.

"Yes, but what about you, Hiccup? If you and Toothless get killed, who's going to be the next Dragon Ambassador?" Astrid pressed the issue. It was a good thing that Selena had taken Helena and Ebony to play outside, or she couldn't be so upfront about this.

"Uh…" Hiccup hesitated, but his eyes slid towards – "I kinda figured mom would…I mean, she's as good with dragons as I am, if not more so."

"Well, sure, but your mom's old. Older! Than you, I mean – sorry, Valka, I didn't mean it like – Well I did, but" – Astrid floundered.

"Oh, don't worry about it Astrid. The four of us know we're not long for this world" Valka mock-sighed. She, Stoick, Fredrick and Agatha all chuckled; their son and daughter just blushed.

Astrid cleared her throat and explained, "What I mean is, it would probably be better if your…" she didn't want to say 'replacement'. "If your successor was younger than you."

"Well, hey, you can understand thought-speak and you're really good with dragons…how about, we can be each other's second-in-commands?"

His wife gave him a long-suffering look. "That's a nice idea, Hiccup, but we both know why that wouldn't work. What if we both got killed?"

Hiccup dropped his chin into his hands. "Well, so much for being optimistic" he said sarcastically.

"Elbows off the table" Valka chided, before adding "What about the Academy?"

"The Academy?"

"Well, you could train an apprentice from there, couldn't you? One of the students" she explained.

"Yeah…that could work. Oh, except it would need to be someone from Berk, obviously, but I don't want students from the other tribes to feel like I'm leaving them out."

"You'd have to leave all but one of them out anyway. You can't train them _all_ to be your apprentices!"

"Yeah, I know…"

"Do you have ta pick just one?" Stoick questioned, "Why not train one from each tribe? If things carry on the way they are, damn near every tribe in the archipelago could do with their own 'dragon whisperer' soon enough."

"Huh. That's actually a really good idea, dad."

"I do have them sometimes, you know."

"Glad we got that settled!" Fredrick remarked cheerfully, "So I guess this only leaves your second in command, right, Astrid?"

"Who did you have in mind?" Stoick wondered. He felt pretty safe in assuming it wasn't _him_ , after that 'too old' comment.

Astrid sighed heavily and confessed, "Honestly, Stoick, I have no idea."

To her surprise, it was Hiccup who suggested, "What about Snotlout?"

Incredulous, she repeated "Snotlout. Really? I think you're just trying to foist being acting Chief off on him."

"Do you really think I'd have such ulterior motives? And even if I did, he'd love being acting Chief."

"That's what worries me."

"Astrid, I'm serious. I know Snotlout and I haven't been on the best of terms since…since his father passed away, but this could be good for him. It'd be a way for him to honour his dad. Spitelout always wanted him to be Chief, this'd be the next best thing."

"You know, I can't believe I'm surprised you're saying this. Okay…so you train new dragon ambassadors, and I'll let Snotlout be acting chief. This is going to be interesting" Astrid remarked wryly.

"Just one question – what happens if Snotlout gets killed?"

"….Gustav takes over?"

"Can we please stop talking about any of us getting killed?" Agatha insisted, exasperated. "Come and help clear the dishes."

* * *

Meanwhile, half a world away in the Med, people of good intent and ill went about their business without any thought to dead Dragon Whisperers. Crops were grown, livestock raised, slaves worked, prayers recited in mosques. There was a thriving dragon trade throughout the Mediterranean; there were so many habitats surrounding the inland sea, from swamplands to deserts, and various dragons to be captured and sold to everyone from the Visigoths of Spain to the Byzantine Romans of Turkey.

There were many dragon trappers and hunters in the Med, all of whom were competing with each other. Trappers were no strangers to alliances for business, but they tended to be between crews in different parts of the world. That was how Ryker had gotten a Triple Stryke, a dragon native to the deserts of Northern Africa, from there to the far north of the Nordic Ocean.

Of all the dragon trappers in the Med, one of the most successful and most feared had to be the crew of the _Tempest_ , captained by the notorious Spanish pirate and dragon trapper extraordinaire Nicole Stormheart. She was beautiful and dangerous in equal measure, with tanned skin and dark brown hair in thick braids, shoulder guards made from the scales of a Razorwhip and arm guards made from Triple Stryke hide. Around her neck she wore a triangular pendant, set with a single sapphire and decorated with her personal crest, a trio of azure blue lightning bolts.

One day, when her ships were docked at their home port of Barcelona, Nicole did something rather mundane; she went for a drink. At least from the outside it would be mundane, but this tavern was frequented by trappers, bounty hunters and other undesirable sorts, and she wasn't there _just_ to get an drink or two. Nicole made it a point to keep in touch with her contacts not only in the Mediterranean, but all the way throughout the black market.

The Dragon Skull Inn was crowded, but everyone fell silent when Nicole strode inside. This was normal, and she paid her fellow patrons no attention as she ordered two glasses of wine and took them to her usual corner table. The twin Toledo swords crossed at her back sent a clear message to anyone foolish enough to think of disturbing her.

Naturally, and fortunately, the exception was the person she'd come there to meet. Cateline slipped into the chair opposite Nicole, and wasted no time with idle pleasantries. "Forkbeard is dead" she announced bluntly, before knocking back a gulp of wine as if she had just come from the deserts of Egypt and not drank for several days. Draining the glass, she quickly poured another.

Nicole took a more delicate sip from her own glass and replied, "Harald Forkbeard, I assume. If it's someone else, I'm not interested."

"No, I am talking about your old friend. It's rather old news, I'm afraid; he was killed last autumn. The good news for you is, his killer was killed just this summer" Cateline said casually, but there was a sinister smirk playing on her lips. Nicole raised an eyebrow over her glass.

"I fail to see the connection.

There was a rustle of fabric and then parchment as Cateline took out a yellowed scroll and unfurled it. The writing was Norse runes, a language neither woman understood, but Nicole knew a bounty poster when she saw one. There were a few on her, and she'd been happy to show them why that had been a very foolish idea. The man on this poster looked to be about in his early twenties, with a scruffy beard and a hard, glaring expression.

"Hmm. Kind of cute, if he weren't scowling, but he's not really my type."

"A distinction he shares with damn near every man in existence, then."

"That's not true. Is it wrong of me to have such high standards?"

"More like you're so high maintenance" Cateline retorted, smirking at Nicole.

"I can still have you removed, you know. Piss me off enough and I might just kill you myself" Nicole warned her, before gesturing to the bounty poster and saying, "So I presume this is Harald's killer, since it's obviously not Harald and you wouldn't waste my time showing me some random Norseman. Now either hurry up and tell me what this good news is, or leave, and I'll have your wine."

"So impatient. I always liked that about you" Cateline smiled. "Okay, here it is. My contact in his crew got in touch and told me that last year, they went after the bounty on this man. Apparently his name is Hiccup Haddock - don't ask – and he's become rather famous up in the north. Do you know what he's famous for?" she asked tantalisingly.

Nicole gave her a flat look and said, "You know I can't stand that game. Just get to the point, please, before you end up on the points of my swords."

"Have more wine, dear, you get tetchy when you're sober. Fine!" Cateline huffed when Nicole glared at her, "Folks up there call him the Dragon Whisperer. He has an affinity for the beasts. It's said that when he was a young teen, he ended a war between his tribe and the local dragon nest by somehow destroying a Queen dragon that was compelling the beasts to raid. They've been at peace with dragons ever since."

Nicole raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I'm _starting_ to be impressed…but he's dead, you say, and you still haven't explained why this benefits _me_."

"Yeah, he's dead, but his dragon isn't, and there's two of them. They might even be a mated pair. You know how it is; in our line of work, the rarer the better, and how do you get any rarer…" Here she leaned across the table to whisper in Nicole's ear, "than a Night Fury?"

Ah! At last, Nicole was intrigued. "There's a breeding pair of Night Furies up there with the barbarians? Why didn't you say that in the first place?"

"It gets better" Cateline grinned, "Harald and his men captured this Haddock guy – for all of a few hours – and they also captured one of his allies, the chief of another tribe, who just so happened to ride a Triple Stryke."

"You don't say?" Nicole murmured, draining the rest of her wine. "Well then…it looks like my crew and I are taking a little trip up north."

* * *

(1) Metal poles in the ground, covered in leather to insulate them, topped with a bowl filled with soil and wild mint. Raising the plants makes it less likely the dragon will simply dive down to snatch a sheep, and ensures the sheep can't accidentally graze the protective plants.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Two

"Astrid?"

"Mmm…Hmm?"

"Aaastriiid…"

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and shrugged it off. Yes, she knew she needed to get up and be the Chief, but the bed was warm and she was comfortable, so go away, give her "five more minutes..."

"I would, but this is gonna go cold" Hiccup replied, making her realise she'd mumbled that last bit aloud. Astrid's nose decided to start working and she smelled, _ooh,_ that smelled good. Her eyes joined the party, and she opened them at last. Hiccup was sitting on the bed, a tray on his lap, and on the tray was a plate of honey drenched flatbreads and two tankards of mead. There was also a pot of sweet violets, her favourite flower (1). He'd made breakfast in bed.

Hiccup smiled widely. "Happy sixth anniversary, milady" he murmured as she sat up, propping the pillow against the wooden headboard. "Mind if I join you?" he inquired, gesturing to the tray.

Astrid smiled in return. "By all means, good sir" she replied, teasing. They balanced the tray between them and had a sweet private feast. It dawned on Astrid that their bedroom – indeed, the whole house – was peculiarly silent. She couldn't even hear any Terrors 'serenading' them from the roof. "Where is everyone?" she wondered, seeing the dragons gone…what about Helena?

"Don't worry" Hiccup reassured her, "Helena and Ebony are sleeping over at my parents house, remember? Selena is helping my mom take care of them, Toothless is keeping an eye on the pack, and I've already asked Snotlout to cover for your chiefly duties today. That's right" he nodded, smirking at her expression, "I got you a day off. No need to thank me, really" he said with false modesty, hoping she'd take the bait.

The compliment-fishing backfired when Astrid merely shrugged and replied, "Okay, then, I won't." He pouted until she kissed him and said "Thank you, Hiccup. This is lovely; I really appreciate what you do for me. You know that, right?" she asked shyly.

"I know, but it's nice to hear. We've got the whole day to ourselves, love; what do you want to do?" he asked her. Astrid didn't hesitate to answer.

"I want to lie in!"

* * *

So lie in they did, kissing and snuggling and talking about nothing in particular. Then they did a bit more than just cuddling, and then they cuddled some more. Astrid was dreading the chaos she'd have to deal with tomorrow after Snotlout's brief stint as acting Chief, but Hiccup told her not to worry. "My dad's gonna give him some pointers, keep him steered straight. Believe it or not, he volunteered. Stoick, I mean. I don't think he wants to see Snotlout destroy the village anymore than you do." They both laughed.

"Really, though" Hiccup said once he'd caught his breath, "I don't think we need to worry. Snotlout can be really effective when he sets his mind to something. Besides, he'll never be chief – temporary or otherwise – material unless we give him the chance, right?"

Astrid had to concede the point. Eventually they grew bored of lounging in bed, not to mention hungry. They got up, dressed, and Hiccup led Astrid through the forest. She had a pretty good feeling about where they were going and what for, but she held her tongue so Hiccup's 'surprise' wouldn't be ruined. Sure enough, they soon arrived at the cove, as beautiful and peaceful as ever.

It was more overgrown these days; the grass reached up to their shins, with wildflowers scattered throughout, bobbing their colourful heads in the breeze. Hiccup dragged aside some bushes covering the small cave and pulled out a blanket and picnic basket. They sat down to eat together, Astrid resting her head on Hiccup's shoulder and sighing in contentment.

"This is nice" she smiled, "We should do this more often. Spend time together, just the two of us. More than just once a year."

"We do. We spend time together on your birthday and at Snoggletog, that's three times a year" Hiccup replied. She swatted him on the arm.

"You know what I mean. I know we have lunch together every day, but that's with the kids and dragons and parents…it's not the same as just you and me, y'know? I feel like I don't get to spend enough time with just you these days."

"Yeah, I guess we are both pretty busy."

"I'm probably busier than you are, no offence."

"None taken. Hey, if you ever need me, just send for me and I'll be there. I promise" Hiccup said earnestly, looking her in the eye.

Astrid smiled fondly. "I know" she murmured. They sat together in companionable silence for a while, until eventually Astrid remarked, "Y'know, I'm impressed. It's mid afternoon and you haven't pined after Toothless at all."

"What? I don't pine after" – Hiccup realised she was teasing him. "Very funny. Toothless and I don't have to spend _every_ minute with each other; it only hurts if we're separated unwillingly. He was more than happy to let me spend some quality time with my wife, thank you very much."

"Really?"

"Well, his exact words were" – *I don't want to be around when you and Astrid start flirting and kissing and mating. There's only so much I can take.*

Astrid shook her head. "I still can't get over you doing that."

*Doing what?*

"You know what! Can you please talk normally? It's kind of creepy, when you're talking with your mouth closed like that."

"Sorry" he apologised. Then a thought occurred to him, and he had to ask, "Hey, Astrid? This isn't…you are just teasing, yeah? You don't really think that I'd rather be with Toothless right now than you…do you? Cos I don't. I want to be here, Astrid; you're my wife, and I love you. I love you as much as Toothless, just in a different way, and I" –

She pressed a finger to his lips as he rambled. "I know! Hiccup, I know. I love you too. It's just…I guess…okay, if I'm being honest? Sometimes I wonder, if Toothless is your soulmate, then…who's mine? I used to think it was you, but if you're not, then…" She trailed off, and Hiccup was surprised to hear how vulnerable she, Fearless Astrid Hofferson, sounded just then.

He felt a sudden urge to reassure her. "Well, I still could be. You can be my _other_ other half" Hiccup suggested. He was being serious, but she rolled her eyes at him, assuming he was joking.

"Gee, thanks for the invite. You can't have more than one other half, Hiccup; that's not how it works" Astrid reminded him.

Hiccup chuckled. "What I mean is…being heart bound, it makes me part of two worlds, like I'm the bridge between them" he said solemnly, holding his hands palms up. "Toothless is my link to the dragons, but _you_ ", here he took her hand in his and laced their fingers together, "you are my link to humanity. If it weren't for you, I probably would've flown off with Toothless by now and become a crazy feral dragon-man."

In spite of herself, Astrid smiled. "Like mother, like son, huh?"

"Yeah, exactly. I'd cover myself in shed scales and eat raw fish."

Astrid pulled a face. "That's disgusting. Humans don'teat raw fish."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't be human. Besides, Skulder said he's heard of a place in the Far East where raw fish is a delicacy. They call it sashimi." (2)

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, it can stay in the Far East. Besides, unlike your mother, you can actually cook."

"Hey! Cut her some slack, she's still my mom" Hiccup protested, but he didn't really take much offence. Even Valka knew she was a terrible cook. "The point is, you're important to me, Astrid. I wouldn't be the man I am today without you" he told her honestly.

She smiled and replied, "The feeling's mutual." Then she kissed him.

When she pulled away, Hiccup couldn't resist asking, "So you're saying you're a man?" He got another thwack for that, but it was worth it.

Astrid asked curiously, "Hiccup? Do you…ever wish you _were_ a dragon?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes, I suppose. Not all the time. If I were a dragon, I wouldn't be able to talk to humans, and persuade them that dragons aren't monsters…then again, I'm not doing a very good job of that as a human either."

"That's not true. Look at Berk! Look at Eret, at Ragnar and Ormar and Isak, at Klaus. You _are_ making a difference, Hiccup. These things just take time" Astrid counselled. "What you're doing is _amazing._ I'm proud of you. You're fighting for a cause you believe in, a cause that's bigger than you or me or the whole archipelago. Just…don't forget, you might have the soul of a dragon, but it's your _humanity_ that makes you want to reach out to others."

There was a pause as he took her words in. "Wow" he murmured at last, "That was _deep_. But seriously, thank you. I needed to hear that" Hiccup admitted. He wound an arm around her waist and she snuggled into his side. Presently he remarked, "Y'know, maybe your soulmate is out there somewhere. Maybe some tall, dark and handsome stranger will come along, sweep you off your feet, and you can divorce me and marry him instead."

Astrid gave him one more half-hearted smack on the arm. "Don't be stupid. The only tall, dark and handsome man I need in my life is you."

He grinned. "The feeling's mutual."

"Oh, don't start that again…"

* * *

After they'd cleared away the remains of their picnic, Astrid got to her feet and walked away a few steps. Then she turned to face Hiccup again and held her hand out, inviting him to "Dance with me."

Hiccup smiled and stood up, walking over to take her hand. "I'm surprised. I almost expected you to ask me to spar with you. Seeing as that's how this usually goes" he remarked half-teasingly as they began to dance.

"Well, _somebody_ made me leave my axe at home. Besides, the footwork of dancing is good practice for battle" she replied.

"Aha! I knew it. I knew you couldn't have just wanted a dance with your husband" Hiccup declared with a triumphant smirk. "Oh, Astrid, never change."

Astrid gave him the Look. "I will flip you" she warned, before confessing, "I do want to dance; but you know, just because it's our anniversary doesn't mean we can let our guard down. We need to be vigilant and prepared."

Ever since word reached them of Adulfr's escape, Astrid had wasted no time. She'd ordered food and ammunition stocked up in every storehouse on and off Berk; asked the dragons to provide extra gel, gas, spikes, Gronckle Iron and whatever else they could safely give; pushed for the able-bodied warriors of the tribe to hone their skills in close combat, hand-to-hand, and aerial combat.

"Wherever Adulfr is, he'll surely be coming to Berk eventually" she'd declared when questioned, "and he isn't going to come alone. This time we _will_ be ready for him. For all of them. The Hooligans will not go down without a fight!"

The memory of the proud cheers rang in Hiccup's mind. "Of course, but I don't think it will hurt to take things easy just this once. It's our anniversary, love. My impending doom isn't something I really want to think about, right now" he admitted. She gave him a slightly concerned look at that, before hiding it with a smile and leaning up to kiss him.

When they came apart, she gazed at him adoringly, and he at her. Astrid's soft smile faded a little, and she said "Listen, I'm…I'm sorry I've been so pushy, about preparing for Adulfr returning."

"You haven't been pushy…okay, you have, but it's for a good reason. You're right; we can't afford to let our guard down, even now." Hiccup sighed, looking tired. Sad. He'd shaved the reddish stubble of the beard he'd never properly grown out, and without it he looked younger. Truly, he looked more like the twenty year old he'd been when the heart bind was made, than the nearly thirty year old he was. It wasn't a hugely noticeable difference, but still.

There were moments though, like this, that she looked into Hiccup's eyes and saw someone _older._ Concern tightened her chest, and she tried to make light of it. "Could we ever?" she asked, half-jokingly. "It's just one thing after another, around here."

Hiccup snorted in amusement a bit, but he still looked sad. Astrid's brow furrowed a little, and she murmured, "Hiccup, none of what's been happening lately is your fault. You know that, right?"

He sighed. "I guess not."

"You _guess_?" Astrid repeated, incredulous. "Hiccup, you're not to blame! Adulfr is the one at fault here. Him and all these other dragon hunters who keep spreading rumours and lies just because they want to keep lining their pockets." She scowled briefly at the thought. _Bastards, the lot of them._ "What would possibly make you think you were in the wrong here?"

"No, I – I don't" he replied, trying to smile reassuringly. "I'm just…sick of this, Astrid. I didn't cause it but I'm still in the middle of it all, and it's putting our pack, our tribe, everyone in danger. I just want it to end."

"It _will_ " Astrid declared firmly, "we're all here to fight alongside you, and we _will_ stop Adulfr. You're not alone. When he comes back here, he's not going to know what's hit him. We defeated Drago, we can defeat him."

"Yeah…" Hiccup said slowly, not quite meeting her eyes.

Astrid frowned. "What? There's something else bothering you" she realised, squinting suspiciously at him.

Hiccup winced. "I know Adulfr needs to be stopped. Only…I think maybe we shouldn't, err…kill him. At least not straightaway" he replied.

Her eyebrows raised, disbelieving. "That might be the only way to stop him" she protested, "why would you…?" Then a thought occurred to her. "Wait. Hiccup, is this about what happened to Hauke? This isn't happening because Toothless killed him…well, it sort of is, but that doesn't mean it's his or your fault!"

"You know, for a second there I almost felt better" Hiccup said sarcastically. He explained what he'd told Toothless, that he felt he needed to at least _try_ to talk Adulfr down, for his own peace of mind if nothing else. If push came to shove he would kill the man, but that was irreversible, and he was worried people wouldn't understand, that they'd fear and hate him even more.

"I'm not saying we should forgive him; after what he's done, he doesn't deserve it" Hiccup determined, thinking of all the pain Adulfr had put them through; his mother near death, Toothless being tortured, Spitelout dying. "All I'm saying is that if we capture him, not kill, nobody will be able to say that we're…that I'm…merciless and power-hungry. I know it sounds crazy, but sparing him might be the best way to protect Berk from future attacks.

"I just – I can't shake the feeling that history is repeating itself. First it was Drago, now Adulfr…if Toothless or I kill him, it'll just keep circling around and I'll be no closer to changing people's minds about me, or about dragons. Not to mention, Adulfr told me, he wanted to 'continue Drago's legacy' or something, and that – that can't just be about my dragon killing his father. There has to be something more going on" Hiccup insisted, brow furrowed.

Astrid supposed she couldn't fault his line of thinking, after all her talk about how 'your humanity is what makes you reach out to others'. Personally she had her doubts whether Adulfr was even capable of changing his ways. Then again, when she was younger she'd have said the same thing about Alvin the Not-So-Treacherous, and Dagur the Not-So-Deranged. Adulfr might have been a Drago Bludvist fanboy, but he wasn't nearly as threatening as the warlord had been.

"I get what you're saying" she acknowledged, "but Hiccup, if you do have to kill him…that doesn't make you the bad guy. It's no different to with Drago; you'd be doing it to protect the dragons, protect all of us. If anyone thinks you're a hypocrite for that then the problem is with them, not you."

He gave her a sad smile. "I know…but if there's even the slightest chance to end this madness for good…I have to try."

"Well, if and when he does come back, we'll take him prisoner, put him on trial, and you can interrogate him" Astrid said finally…privately adding _before he's executed._ She had no qualms whatsoever about keeping that in reserve. She gave Hiccup a kiss on the cheek and murmured, "Babe, c'mon. Let's enjoy ourselves, make the most of it; we only get one anniversary a year, after all."

Hiccup refrained from pointing out that she'd been the one to bring the topic up. Instead he merely smiled, and pulled her in for a hug. They stood like that for a while, just holding one another. "Today has been…beautiful. Just like you" he murmured into her hair.

Astrid pulled back a little to smile at him fondly, and he at her. "Day's not over yet" she reminded him. "What shall we do now?"

Hiccup suggested, "How about an afternoon flight?"

"Good idea. You can use that mental link with Toothless, ask him to fetch Stormfly and meet us in the cove" Astrid decided.

Her husband smirked a bit. "I am _way_ ahead of you" he teased, not taking his eyes off her; wingbeats cut through the air, and there were two thumps behind them, the sound of dragons coming into land. Astrid turned to find Toothless and Stormfly standing there, heads cocked expectantly and amusement glinting in their eyes. They had, she realised, been waiting for this.

* * *

Astrid and Hiccup mounted up, and their dragons flew straight up into the air. They banked and soared out across the far side of the island, away from the village. Toothless and Stormfly weaved and rolled around each other, swooping to form hearts in the sky, spiralling and showing off. It wasn't long before their riders joined in the fun.

"Not bad!" Hiccup grinned as Astrid performed a backflip onto Stormfly's tail so the Nadder could flick her back into the saddle. He unclipped his safety lines, locked the tail-fin into position, crouched on Toothless' back and _leapt_ – Toothless spun beneath him, and he landed on the saddle again. "Yes!"

"Impressive!" Astrid called across, as the dragons circled each other, "but _we're_ gonna win the Dragon Day competition!"

"It's _not_ a competition!" Hiccup cried in exasperation. He and Toothless began climbing; Stormfly followed them. They flew out to sea, racing Stormfly until they reached the sea stacks, closer to the clouds than the ocean. Hiccup took his feet out of the stirrups, crouched on his dragon's shoulders, winked at Astrid, and dived off.

He plunged straight down, shoving his wrists through leather loops and keeping his knees locked. Toothless folded his wings and dropped beside Hiccup; Stormfly flipped over and followed them down, Astrid shrieking in excitement as they plummeted. The Swift-Wing curved his wings and twisted so he was facing Hiccup. The wind stung at his eyes but he kept them open, giving Hiccup a gummy smile and nudging him with one paw, making him spin.

Hiccup grinned back. Deciding it was now or never, he undid two little clips on his thighs and quickly wrenched his arms outwards, fighting the air, which felt almost solid as it slammed into him, filling his wings. The leather membrane once stretched between his wrists and ankles, like a bat. Now, there were four thin flat spokes that flicked out, one on the end of each wingtip and one on each side of his hips. Between them stretched more leather, catching more wind.

Hiccup had wider wings, and a base-fin, and if he'd been wearing his helmet he would have looked even more like a Night Fury halfway to turning human, or vice versa. He briefly hunched his shoulders and heard a small _click_ as the series of stabilising fins, thinner and longer than a real Swift-Wing to match his smaller frame, rose and stiffened along his back (3).

*Your wings!*

*Your fins!*

"You're crazy!"

He checked his position and realised he was slightly off course, he needed to be more to the right. No matter; he pushed his right wing down and let the wind shove his left wing up, neatly flipping him onto his back. Thanks to his new base-fins, he barely lost any altitude, and the dorsal spines along his back kept the air flow steady beneath him.

Lifting his head, he grinned at Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly, gliding just behind and to the side of him. Toothless' eyes and smile were wide; he was delighted. Stormfly's face was less expressive, but he'd heard the amazement in her surprised cry at the sight of his new-and-better wings. Astrid waved at him, and called "Watch where you're going!"

Oh, yes; now for the tricky part. Hiccup briefly pulled his wings in – he dropped and twisted, dorsal spines keeping him balanced as he flipped himself. In moments he was facing forwards and heading straight for the nearest sea stack, now much closer to it than he had been. This was the even trickier part – landing. He had to time this _just right…_

As the solid and unforgiving rock approached him, Hiccup counted to five, then pulled his knees in and swung his legs down, keeping his wings spread wide. The sudden change in angle meant he dropped, but the wind still pushed at his wings and base-fins, slowing his plummet enough for him to fall safely.

Except he hadn't considered the resistance from his new base-fins, which pushed him back just enough that when he dropped onto the sea stack he was right on the edge. His feet slipped and he grabbed frantically at the rock, only to slide down until his prosthetic wedged in a crack and he tightened his fingers on an extremely narrow ledge, little more than a ridge in the stone.

"Hiccup!" he heard Astrid cry above him, and Toothless' roar of *Hold on!*

He heard his dragon land on the sea stack, and then a broad black-and-red finned tail dropped into view. It smacked Hiccup on the back of the head. "Aw, come on. It was an accident" he protested as he gripped the tail and let Toothless haul him up. "I just misjudged the timing."

* * *

Once he was on the sea stack, Toothless looked him over and crooned _approval._ *This is the big secret you've been working on, isn't it?* he realised. For several months now, Hiccup had been doing something in the forge and his old workshop. Annoyingly he had refused to let Toothless know what it was, saying only that it would be a nice surprise and to just be patient.

Hiccup smiled broadly and spread his wings, letting Toothless get a better look at them. "Surprise! You like it, then?"

*Yes, I'm flattered you went to so much trouble to look like me. I _am_ impressive, after all* Toothless preened, grooming himself like a smug, contented cat. Astrid and Stormfly were perched on the other side of the sea stack. Hiccup couldn't help asking, "So, uh, Astrid…what do you think?"

She looked him and down, and delivered her verdict. "Honestly? I think you look ridiculous" Astrid declared, nodding at his right side. Hiccup looked down at himself and realised the base-fin on that side hadn't collapsed properly, which looked rather lopsided. Blushing, he hastily fiddled with the mechanism and flattened the support rod against his thigh again.

"Okay, yeah, I still have a couple of things to smooth out. But it worked!"

Astrid dismounted and came over for a better look. "So how _does_ it work?"

Hiccup showed her the support rods and explained, "I undo the clasps and then they flick out when I spread my wings, and there's this catch between my shoulders that keeps my dorsal spines raised. Cool, huh?"

"Wait, so how do you make sure it all works every time?" she asked.

"Um…"

Astrid shook her head at him. "Alright, I'll admit; making yourself fly like a Night Fury is a pretty neat trick. You're going to have to do something even more impressive if you want a chance of winning the Dragon Day Parade competition, though" she warned him playfully.

"It's not…does everything have to be a competition?" he asked, exasperated. "Well, if it is a competition, then Toothless and I are gonna win. So there."

"Uh-uh. Stormfly and I are winning it next time, for sure."

"We're the Alphas."

" _I'm_ your wife."

"Uh, heh, heh…how about we change the subject?"

"Sure" Astrid shrugged, "why don't we talk about how your big surprise for our anniversary was to make yourself look more like Toothless?"

Hiccup blushed and stammered. "Uh, I – uh – i-it's not – I – I don't – just, y-y'know, c-caught up in – um – I just, aheh…" Astrid pressed a finger to his lips to shut him up, and he gulped nervously.

Stormfly leaned down and croaked quietly to Toothless, *This is awkward.*

*I agree* he snorted in reply.

Astrid sighed, exasperated and fond all at the same time. "Look, it's fine. I'm not really upset" she admitted, but Hiccup still felt bad.

"I wouldn't blame you if you were. I was just showing off, but I shouldn't have…today's supposed to be about _us_ and I went and made it about me. I'm sorry, Astrid. I wasn't thinking."

"Well, you are a man" Astrid teased him, before saying "Look, I get it, okay? This is just, you – like you said, you're kinda half-dragon now. You can't help yourself. I knew when I married you that I'd have to accept all…this."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "You just gestured to all of me" he noted, amused. "Still, I'm sorry. I promise I'll do better next time."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. I'll do something really wonderful for you. You'll never see it coming" he declared confidently.

Astrid smirked. "You have no idea what you're going to do for our next anniversary, do you?"

"Not _yet_ " he insisted, "but I will. Trust me, next year is gonna be the best seventh anniversary you've ever had" he replied.

There was a short pause…and then Astrid snickered. Even the dragons were chortling. Hiccup sighed. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah" she chuckled, trying to catch her breath. "Well, whatever it is, I look forward to it." Hiccup smiled and pulled her closer for a kiss.

When they came apart, they realised Toothless and Stormfly had flown over to another rock, presumably to give the couple some privacy. Right now they were playing a game of tag across the tall stones, and their riders chuckled at the sight. "Hiccup, thank you. All of this; the breakfast, the day off, the picnic…it's all been wonderful. _You're_ wonderful. I couldn't ask for a better husband."

"I couldn't ask for a better wife, so I guess we're even" Hiccup smiled. He wound an arm around her waist, she leaned against his side and they looked out over the ocean together, towards the west. The sun was just starting to set, colouring the sky vibrant orange and a little purple with the coming night. They stood and watched it slide down, chased into hiding by the moon and stars peeking out.

Suddenly Astrid gasped. "Hiccup! You're supposed to be in hiding, you can't be all the way out here; what if someone sees you?"

"Who will? Astrid, there's no one here but us and the dragons. Besides, nobody's coming after me; they all think I'm dead, remember?"

"Which is exactly why you're in hiding" Astrid retorted, checking all around for any sign of ships. How could they have been so foolish?

"Astrid, would you relax? Nobody's seen me. Even if people were around, so long as I keep my head down it's hard to tell Toothless has a rider from below. And the bottom of his tail-fin is black now, so the red fin can't give us away."

"What about when you jumped out of the saddle?"

"Toothless and I checked all over as we were flying out here to make sure the coast was clear. I wouldn't have done it if there had been anyone around."

She still looked worried. "Hiccup, if anyone sees you…"

"But they didn't! And what's the worst that could happen?" he asked.

"Word will get out you're not really dead and all those bounty hunters will be after you again, _Adulfr_ will be after you."

"He's gonna be after me anyway, if he comes back. I won't exactly be able to stay hidden then. But let's say I did get caught out; I'd have no choice but to resort to plan B" Hiccup told her.

Astrid looked at him sceptically. "What's plan B?"

"Actually talking to the person and explaining all the misunderstandings" he replied, with an infuriating smirk on his face. "Shocking concept, I know."

Astrid glared at him. "Talking to them" she repeated incredulously, "after we've taken them prisoner, I assume. What if you don't even know they've seen you?"

"Well, if I don't know, then I can't do anything about it, can I?"

"And you're not the slightest bit _worried_ about that?"

"What's the point of worrying if there's nothing I can do?"

Astrid grimaced. " _Ugh._ You are infuriating" she scowled at him.

Hiccup just smiled cheerfully at her, unfazed. "You love me" he insisted.

She sighed, her gaze softening. "Yeah. I guess I do."

* * *

 _Spring, 1064_

The _Tempest_ was finally sailing into the waters of the Archipelago, after several months at sea. Nicole and her crew had stocked up on furs and coverings; a good thing too, because the further north they went, the colder it became. The dragon trapping pirates had spent all their lives in the sunny, balmy med - this northern weather was disagreeable. One of them had cold, numb hands whilst up on the rigging one day and became convinced she'd gotten frostbite.

Nicole knew that their quarry would be elusive, and hard to obtain. "The Triple Stryke is ridden by the chief of the Berserker tribe; he calls himself Dagur the Defiant" Cateline told her. "I wouldn't recommend trying to capture the dragon on his island; my contact and his crew escaped from there, so they'll be wary, if they have any sense. Not that you can tell, with Vikings."

"So what do you suggest? I want solutions, Cateline, not problems."

"I have it on good authority that the Berserker Chief travels from his island around this time to the Isle of Berk, where these Night Furies are said to live. For a treaty signing, or something. If we get there on time, we have a chance to lure out and capture all three. After all, we have the bait" Cateline explained.

"Of course, and if we only capture one of the Night Furies, then our bait for them can be the back-up. A rare hybrid like that would be worth even more than a pure-bred" Nicole remarked, smirking in satisfaction.

Cateline spread a map of the islands out on the table in Nicole's cabin. "Two more days hard sailing, and we'll be in the northeastern current. That will take us right up to the heart of the archipelago" she declared, "and there, we'll lay our trap. We can get the last item we need for the trap from here", she tapped _Outcast Island_ with the tip of her dagger.

"Why, what's so special about that island?" Nicole demanded, frowning at the sharp, ugly patch of grey on the map.

"Absolutely nothing. It's a God-forsaken wasteland with a barely legitimate tribe that somehow manages to eke out a living there" Cateline replied, "but also, the so-called Loki tree. The ash of its wood is black as tar, smells about as pleasant, and will make an excellent paint for the disguise. We want it to be realistic, after all" she pointed out.

Nicole nodded thoughtfully. "The only question is where to set the bait" she noted, examining the map carefully. She noticed a small island not too far from that of their target, little more than a brown and green splotch on the parchment. That meant there was vegetation there, which would make good cover. "We'll weigh anchor here, and lay the trap just on the other side of this small headland."

Cateline nodded and left to relay the orders to the crew. She had recently been 'promoted' to Nicole's first mate, after the last one made the mistake of trying to mutiny. _That_ person was now having an extended holiday on a nice, quiet, empty little Greek island. Nicole pored over the map a few moments more, plotting their course. She was determined to capture the Triple Stryke and at least one, or better yet two, Night Furies.

* * *

(1) So how's this for a nice coincidence, it turns out that in the language of flowers, purple violets mean that the givers thoughts were occupied with love about the recipient. D'aww.

(2) Yes, sashimi, not sushi. They're often confused, but sushi is rice based.

(3) TBH, I don't know if his flight suit could actually work like this, but who needs technical accuracy in fanfics am I right? Btw 'base-fins' are the wide triangular fins at the base of a Night Fury's tail.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

A/N: Right, so the 'weekly update' has now become a 'whenever I feel like it' update. I'm sure you guys aren't complaining, though.

I thought it would be fun to do a Q&A session with you guys, but because FFN rules say you can't post non-stories, it would have to be on my tumblr. You can ask me questions about my stories, world-building, thoughts on HTTYD stuff or just stuff about me in general.

So here, have a link to my homepage: h-t-t-p-s: / / all things 10blue10 dot tumblr dot com / post / 167115568152 /about-me (fill in gaps as necessary), and Ask Away!

Chapter Three

 _Autumn 1064_

Five young adult dragon riders, graduates of the Berk Dragon Academy, stood in the training ring. They'd been chosen for something, though they didn't know what, and were waiting for Headmaster Fishlegs and Hiccup to arrive.

Fishlegs arrived first, buzzing into the arena on Meatlug. "Good morning, everyone!" he beamed cheerfully, dismounting and stepping forwards. "You're all here, good. I'm sure Hiccup and Toothless will be here soon, but if you're wondering what's going on here, we've" – he was interrupted by the familiar battle shriek of a diving Night Fury.

Toothless swooped down, pulled off a loop the loop just to show off, and landed with an elegant pounce. Meatlug and the other dragons all bowed their heads submissively, briefly, in deference to their Alphas. Hiccup removed his helmet, smoothed his hair down (or tried to, anyway) and apologised, "Sorry we're late, had to break up a fight. Hey, guys" he smiled at the students.

They greeted him simultaneously. Then the Hooligan student – there was one from each tribe – pointed out "Uncle Fishlegs, you still haven't told us what's going on here."

"I was getting to that, Brenda. Actually, Hiccup, why don't you take this one?"

"Sure. So, the Chief has decided that she and I need…successors, as it were, to take over our roles should we be incapacitated or…absent" Hiccup said delicately. He should have known better, he was talking to Vikings. Braun, the student from the Outcast tribe, asked bluntly "You mean if you get killed?"

"That's part of it, yes. Just to be clear, Astrid and I aren't planning to get killed anytime soon. Anyway, we decided that it was in the best interests of all the tribes, not just the Hooligans, if I trained a 'dragon whisperer', or ambassador, or whatever you want to call it, from each tribe. Fishlegs and I narrowed the choice down to the five of you" Hiccup explained.

The young riders looked at each other in amazement and a bit of confusion. Hiccup elaborated, "You've all learned so much at this Academy, but there are some things we haven't taught you, at least not in detail. I'm going to teach you how to deal with dragons like I do, and stop conflicts between dragons and humans to keep the peace between our species."

"Wait a second" said Otto, of the Berserker Tribe, "Did you say 'stop'? You want us to _stop_ fights?" he protested incredulously. Braun, and Ashildr of the Bog-Burglars, didn't seem too pleased with the idea either.

Hiccup sighed. "I'm talking about stopping conflicts between humans and dragons; not just actual dangerous fights, but the bigger picture, the enmity between man and dragon kind. That's the goal I'm working towards, and I can't do it alone, which is why I need riders like you. If it's two Vikings fighting, you can stand back and watch to your hearts content" he told them.

Fishlegs looked disapproving. "You shouldn't encourage them."

"I'm not, I'm just saying they can watch, not get involved."

"But they will."

"You know we can hear you, right?" Brenda asked rhetorically. She looked at Hiccup and inquired, "Does this mean I get to replace you if you get killed?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it like that, but…essentially, yes" he agreed. "Any questions? And before you ask, we didn't pick Brenda just because she's Fishlegs' niece."

"This sounds boring" said Otto of the Berserker Tribe.

"Technically, that was a statement" Fishlegs noted, ever pedantic.

"It won't be as boring as you think" Hiccup replied, but then he realised how that sounded. "What I mean is, stopping conflicts means getting in the middle of them, without making things worse, which is a lot harder than it sounds. Not to mention…you guys remember a few years ago, when Berk was attacked by dragon hunters?" he asked.

"Of course." Brenda nearly rolled her eyes; everyone remembered that.

"Uh, Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked nervously, "Are you sure we should-?"

"If Astrid doesn't like it, I'll take the heat" Hiccup promised, before turning back to the dragon-ambassadors-in-training. "That army was led by a man called Adulfr, and Adulfr's problem is that he doesn't know when to quit. He and his followers have been spreading rumours and lies; about me, about the dragons, all to keep people from finding out they _can_ live in peace with dragons, like we do. And these people won't hold back because you're young. They didn't when my friends and I were your age. They will kill you, and your dragons, if given the chance" he warned them, completely serious.

There was a slightly awkward silence…and then Otto asked, "What do we get out of this?"

"The chance to help your tribe, help the dragons, and be part of a greater cause" Hiccup answered promptly.

"Yeah…but what else? I mean, are we gonna get paid for this?"

"Do you guys really need to be paid?"

"YES!" they chorused. Hiccup sighed.

Ashildr challenged, "If this is gonna be as dangerous as you say it will, and we might be risking our lives, then we deserve to get paid."

He couldn't argue with that, so Hiccup assured them, "At the next Althing, Astrid is going to try and convince the chiefs of your tribes to do just that. Although, fair warning, we might end up paying you and your dragons in fish."

Braun spoke up next. "I got a question. If these dragon hunters are so bad, why don't we just kill 'em? We've got dragons, and I dunno about you guys, but my Firestorm would _love_ to find out what roasted hunter tastes like" he grinned. Behind him, his bright orange and scarlet Fire-Scale flamed up and licked his jaws, growling menacingly but with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

*We don't eat humans* Toothless warned, growling. Hiccup explained, "We're not just killing them, Braun, because that only makes things worse. It's like…back in the dragon wars, our elders thought that the only way to win was to destroy all the dragons. They killed hundreds of us, we killed _thousands_ of them, and we never came any closer to winning. Not until Vikings and dragons stopped being enemies and became friends." He smiled at Toothless.

"I thought it ended because you and Toothless killed that big mind-controlling dragon" Brenda protested.

"Okay, that too, but it wouldn't have happened if Toothless and I hadn't looked past our differences. Killing our enemies is necessary sometimes, but it's a short term victory, and if there's another way…the dragon war might be over for us, but it isn't over for the rest of the world. And we'll never change things for the better if we keep doing the same thing over and over."

Margret of the Meathead Tribe inquired, "You can hear it when dragons talk to you with their minds, right? Do we get to do that?" (1)

 _Oh, now they look eager. Should've known_ Hiccup thought wryly. He warned them, "I can't give you the gift permanently, I'm sorry. It only lasts a couple of hours at most. But if it comes down to it…yes, I will let you hear thought-speak" he promised.

The riders grinned at each other. That was more like it!

"Any other questions?" Hiccup checked, "No? Right. I've set up some training exercises around the village, so let's get started."

* * *

 _An indeterminate number of days later…_

Unbeknownst to anyone on Berk, many leagues away the _Tempest_ weighed anchor on the far shore of Outcast Island early that morning. Nicole grimaced as she leapt out of the rowboat onto land, looking around at the rocky and barren scenery. It was cold and grey, lifeless, and yet she knew there were Vikings stubbornly eking out a survival on the other side of the island.

She had left her best sailors to keep the ship ready to launch as soon as they returned with what they needed. The sooner they found some of these Loki trees and took the black wood, the better. Nicole and all her accompanying huntresses were well armed with blades and blow darts alike, ready to defend themselves against either Vikings or wild dragons, or possibly both.

There were dragons nearby; Nicole glimpsed their colourful scales stark against the dull rocks, before they slunk into shadows or fled into the iron grey sky. That was expected, but she and the others paid the dragons no mind. These were common species, and they had their sights on a greater prize.

Nicole was more worried about encountering the locals. Not that she and her crew couldn't easily overpower a few lumbering Vikings, but she did hope to keep their presence here on the down low. Hopefully they'd be able to retrieve what they needed and depart from this God-forsaken island before anyone needed to know they were there.

After searching for what felt like ages, but was probably only an hour or so at most, they came across a clump of sickly looking black trees, with thick trunks and boughs tapering out to spindly, leafless branches. "These are the ones; Loki trees" Cateline declared confidently. They matched the description she'd been given exactly, only they were even more hideous in person, she thought.

Under Nicole's orders, the men began to cut down one of the trees, dragging it out away from the rest to burn it. However, no sooner had they felled a suitable one and pulled it aside, than a shadow fell over them. Shields were raised and blowpipes loaded as a massive Monstrous Nightmare swept down and landed before them, body wreathed in flames, spreading its – no, her – impressive wingspan and letting out a bellowing roar.

 _Oh, you beauty._ Nicole couldn't help but smile, more of a smirk, at the aggressive display. This must have been the leader of the local dragons – how could she not be, so dominant and imposing? Best of all, she was a Monstrous Nightmare, which meant she had no poison quills to shoot or toxic gas to breathe, and plenty of fire to spare.

"Lower your weapons!" Nicole shouted, even as she drew her own twin blades and clashed them together. The dragon immediately singled her out as the greatest threat, which was just what she wanted. Tensing, ready, Nicole sheathed one sword to snatch up a stone from the ground, and threw it with all her might. It struck the Titan-Wing right on the snout, and the dragon snarled.

Nicole ducked and rolled out of the way as the Monstrous Nightmare breathed a tongue of flame at her. Instead the fire licked at the trunk of the felled tree, setting it ablaze and saving them all a lot of time. "Thanks" Nicole grinned, before giving the order, "Dart her!"

A couple of darts hissed through the air, one striking the Nightmare's neck, the other hitting its flank. The dragon froze mid-shriek, like a statue. "Well done" Nicole nodded, pleased with her crew's obedience and fast action. They had all learned well to do as she said, when she said it.

No sooner had they done so, however, than there was an answering roar from the nearby mountains. Several dragons bore down on them, clearly coming to the aid of their frozen leader. "Dragon attack incoming!" A sentry yelled a warning, "From the northwest!"

"Defensive positions!" Nicole ordered. Everyone rushed to shelter behind nearby boulders and outcroppings; nobody was stupid enough to try and shelter behind the very flammable trees. As soon as the dragons were within range, the darts flew, and soon all of them were frozen in place. With their eyes wide and jaws gaping, the dragons looked as if they were shocked. It was quite amusing.

Once the dragons were taken care of, Nicole signalled her crew to get back to business. The huntresses stood guard, the hunters approached the burning tree. Nearing it, many of them wrinkled their noses in disgust. These trees, when burned, gave off a horrible smell. "Stoke that fire up! Burn the tree down, and as soon as it's cool, gather the ashes. Sentries, get on lookout – this smoke is giving away our position. With any luck the locals will just think one of the dragons set it on fire – I mean, they did – but I'm not taking any chances, is that clear?!"

Her crew scurried to obey. The sentries worked in pairs, the better to catch sight of approaching dangers (be they more dragons or suspicious Vikings). Gelvira found herself partnered with a younger huntress, Clarencia. They stood at the edge of the bluff, keeping an eye on the jagged mountains that lay towards the west, beyond which lay the only settlement on this dismal island.

Clarencia shivered. "Why anyone would live here is beyond me" she muttered, "You'd have to be mad. Don't you think so?" she asked Gelvira.

Not that she disagreed, but Gelvira preferred to keep watch in silence; it was less distracting. "Shh!" she hissed, motioning for the younger woman to keep watching the ground as she watched the sky. Clarencia huffed and resumed her lookout, peering through the spyglass and seeing nothing but dull grey rocks and the occasional colourful flash of dragon scales.

She kept an eye out for them in particular; dragons were more dangerous than humans, even war-like Vikings. Clarencia had never actually met a Viking; she'd thought there were none left, that they'd all converted to Christianity. Then again, she supposed if these Vikings lived this far north, they were probably a bit behind, a bit backwards. Vikings had a reputation for being marauding savages, but she'd rather fight them than the dragons. Less chance of being burned alive.

Speaking of dragons… "Psst. Do you think there really _are_ Night Furies on one of these islands?" Clarencia asked, continuing to keep watch so Gelvira couldn't complain. The other woman didn't answer her. Clarencia rolled her eyes. "I don't believe it" she declared, "Nobody's seen a Night Fury for centuries, I heard. They're probably all extinct. I wish we'd never come to the stupid north" Clarencia complained, shivering again.

"Problem?" a familiar voice asked sweetly, making both of them jump. Nicole had walked up behind them soundlessly, unsettling Gelvira and Clarencia both. She tsk'ed and remarked, "Sentries should be aware of _all_ their surroundings at _all_ times. Or do we need to do have some more training?"

"No, Captain" Gelvira replied immediately, "Sorry, Captain. It won't happen again. Clarencia and I were only…focusing on the most likely dangers." She remembered, when she'd first joined Nicole's crew, the 'training' they all had to go through. It basically entailed spending days and sleepless nights watching out on all sides for booby traps, dragon facsimiles and other crew members firing at them from the shadows. Gelvira had no desire to repeat the experience.

Nicole nodded. "I couldn't help overhearing" she said, faux-innocently, "Clarencia, dear, are you having doubts?"

The other woman stood straighter and saluted. "Not at all, Captain" she lied.

Nicole looked her over, noting the stiffness of her posture disguised as attentiveness, the slightly higher pitch of her voice, the way she didn't meet the captains eyes. Nicole pursed her lips and shook her head in a disappointed way. "I don't like being lied to" she warned Clarencia, taking a small but sharp dagger from her belt and holding it under the other woman's chin. "Do you know what I did to the last person who lied to me?"

Clarencia tried not to flinch. "N-no…ma'am" she said, honestly this time.

"He told me I was his only love…and then I saw him kissing someone else. Put me right off men for a long time, that did" Nicole explained, "so I cut out his tongue. He never lied to me, or anyone again." She moved the dagger so the tip of the blade pressed lightly against Clarencia's firmly closed lips. "You don't want that, do you?"

Gingerly, Clarencia tilted her head backwards, away from the dagger. "No, Captain. Sorry, Captain. I'm just…not sure if there really _are_ Night Furies out here. I, I thought they had all died out" she explained nervously.

"Oh, there are. I'd bet my own tongue on it" Nicole said confidently, "and these might be the very last of their kind. We'll have to take good care of them once we have them, or they won't bring in any gold, and we don't that, now do we?"

"N-no, Captain, not at all" Clarencia nodded quickly. Nicole smirked, satisfied, and walked away. Clarencia waited until she was out of sight and earshot before breathing a sigh of relief.

Gelvira smiled just a bit as she returned to lookout. "This is why you should keep your mouth shut" she murmured to the girl. Clarencia glared at her, and readied her bow once more. _Keep an eye on_ all _your surroundings_ she told herself firmly.

* * *

Thankfully, the dragons did not attack them, though Clarencia (and many of the others, she was sure) still got the feeling they were being watched by the beasts. Time passed, and slowly but surely the tree burned to the ground, still giving off that foul stench. All of them had tied cloths over their faces, dampened with water from their skins, to keep out the smoke and the smell.

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Cateline asked Nicole as they watched the hunters work, gathering the ash and charcoal of the burning tree in clay jars. "I mean, I don't have a dragon's snout and even I can smell something isn't right. Unless Night Furies smell of burning tar, I don't think this is going to be a very good disguise."

Nicole shrugged. "Have you ever been near a Night Fury?"

Cateline gave her an odd look. "Of course not. None of us have" she pointed out, knowing that her…friend…had never encountered the world's most elusive dragon either. She was the only person – for the time being – whom Nicole would tolerate such insolence from.

"Then how do you know they don't smell of burning tar?" Nicole joked, and then frowned when Cateline just rolled her eyes. "I'm your captain. If I want you to laugh, you laugh."

"I will when you tell decent jokes."

Nicole shot her a glare. "The disguise just needs to draw them in; by the time the Furies are close enough to realise what's wrong, it'll be too late."

At last, the tree burned down completely. They gathered the last of the ashes (they were wearing thick gloves, but they'd still gotten burned) and returned to the ship. Upon returning, Nicole found several dragons either frozen or unconscious and trussed up in nets. "They just came at us out of nowhere, Captain" the sailor she'd left in charge explained,, "We had to take them out or they'd have burned down the ship."

"Well, get them off, and take the nets back" Nicole ordered, snapping "We don't have the room!", when they hesitated to obey. "The empty cages are being kept for our new guests. Now get moving or I'll keelhaul the whole bloody lot of you!" she threatened. _That_ got them hurrying along. Nicole pitched in to get it done quicker, and soon they had the dragons off-loaded – they'd unfreeze after a while – and the _Tempest_ at sea once more.

On board ship, Nicole had them mix the ash they'd gathered with Arabic gum and water, to make a tar-like black paint. The tree had been so large and burned so completely that they filled many jars, and even then Nicole hoped it would be enough. They continued to sail northwest, beyond Outcast Island and towards Berk. Nicole noted the journey of the sun across the sky, and was confident they would reach their destination in time. She planned to lay the trap in the evening, at sundown; after all, these dragons were _Night Furies._ It only made sense for them to be a nocturnal breed.

"Are you sure about that?" Cateline asked, when Nicole explained her reasoning for setting the trap at that time. "Harald's crew said they captured the dragon in the middle of the _day_ , last time."

" _Failed_ to capture it" Nicole replied tersely. It didn't count, in her opinion, unless you held onto the dragon. "Really, Cateline, think about it. If this dragon had a rider, it probably got used to waking in the day, to follow its new masters schedule. Now that its master is dead, the dragon will undoubtedly return to its…natural rhythms. If it has a mate, then that Fury will be more nocturnal too."

"And what if the Berserker Chief, with his Triple Stryke, isn't there?"

"Then we wait until he _is_ ; or, failing that, we lure it out from _his_ island. Wariness or not, we have something the Triple Stryke won't be able to resist" Nicole replied confidently.

Cateline was not so sure. "You're not dealing with typical wild dragons, Nicole. These people are dragon lovers. If we capture the Night Furies, even one of them, the humans are bound to notice and they _will_ come after us."

Nicole rounded on her. "By the time these Vikings realise their precious rare dragons are missing, we will be too far ahead for them to catch up, even on dragon back. The Triple Stryke is not necessary, it would merely be a bonus, we can always track down another. But I _will_ capture at least one Night Fury. We may never get this opportunity again. Now go and check on the cargo."

Cateline's jaw tightened. "Yes, Captain" she ground out, spinning on her heel and striding away. This quest was going to go awry, she could just feel it.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on Berk, the Berserker Chief and his Triple Stryke actually were there already. He'd come accompanied by Heather, as per usual; his wife Bersa rarely came, she wasn't one for long flights. Besides, as she put it, somebody had to stay home and keep the rest of their tribe in line. The woman was formidable; she'd once grabbed a boar by its hind legs and thrown it. Dagur, who hadn't been her husband then, instantly proclaimed the 'boar toss' to be the official sport of Berserker Island.

The start of their relationship had been…rocky, to say the least. When Shattermaster was injured too badly to fly, Dagur took to riding Sleuther for convenience. The dragon seemed willing enough, and he figured he'd just go back to riding his Gronckle once Shattermaster was all better. Except that he began to get attached to the Triple Stryke. The dragon was so – so fast, so dangerous, so exciting! And the _snap_ of his tail gave Dagur chills.

Meanwhile, Shattermaster was worming his way into the heart of Bersa, whom Heather had tasked with helping her take care of the Rock-Tail. At first she'd wanted nothing to do with the dragon, she would feed him but nothing more. Shattermaster was too friendly and eager for Bersa to ignore him entirely; it wasn't long before they were close friends. When Shattermaster's wing healed up at last, Dagur couldn't believe his eyes to see his old friend cuddling up to Bersa instead of him, the traitor.

Dagur didn't take his first dragons apparent 'betrayal' too well at all. He laughed in that crazy way of his, wanting to think it was all some big joke, and climbed onto Shattermaster's back. The Rock-Tail bucked him off. Dagur got angry, shouting at Shattermaster about how he was an ungrateful heap of scales who wouldn't be anywhere without Dagur. Bersa, offended on her dragon's behalf – for she had begun thinking of Shattermaster this way – stepped up and slapped him. The look on his face, to everyone who witnessed it, was priceless.

With all the petty viciousness of his crazy youth, and the intoxicating power that came with being the rightful Chief of his island, Dagur planned to make Bersa's life _miserable_ …so Heather had stepped in. She called Dagur a selfish, immature brat; a Chief was supposed to protecthis own, not persecutethem. Furious, Dagur protested that Bersa had taken his dragon from him, that she'd _slapped_ him (Oh, the indignity).

Undeterred, Heather had simply asked him, if he rode Shattermaster again, who would ride Sleuther? The Triple Stryke refused to let _anyone else_ on his back. Faced with the choice between two dragons he cared about, Dagur finally realised that Shattermaster had taken the decision out of his hands, kept him from having to choose between his first dragon and his new one. Humbled, he apologised to Bersa and Shattermaster both.

He still wanted to spend time with his old friend; which meant spending time with Bersa too. She was attractive, as far as Berserker women went, so naturally Dagur attempted to work his charm on her. He'd always considered himself a ladies man, taking and breaking hearts…it was only much later that he realised how much he'd taken advantage of women he met.

Bersa, though, wasn't fooled by his so-called 'irresistible allure'. She rebuffed all his advances, which only made Dagur more determined to seduce her. As time went on, his attempts to woo Bersa turned to just spending time with her, getting to know her, until before they knew it, they were falling in love. They denied it (to everyone else) for ages, but when Bersa came up pregnant around the same time as Astrid, Dagur finally plucked up the courage to propose.

Now his twin children and niece were currently battling it out with wooden swords, the hatchling Night Fury running around in excitable circles and growling playfully at them all. They'd sorted out the treaty that afternoon and come to the training ring, so Dagur, Heather, Astrid and Hiccup could all spar together. The children insisted on playing as well, so they were given toy weapons and told to keep well out of the way.

"Hold still!" Dagur complained as Hiccup dodged around him, and poked his armour with the tip of _Inferno._ "No fair! That doesn't count."

"Yes, it does! You're just jealous cos I'm winning" Hiccup smirked. He was not and would never be strong enough to simply batter his opponents into submission. He had to be clever, light on his feet and always looking for openings, weaknesses he could exploit. Goading his enemy, in the hopes of getting them to make a mistake, was a risky but all too tempting strategy.

"C'mon, Dagur. Where's your spirit? I thought Berserkers were supposed to be tough" Hiccup laughed as Dagur panted. His 'big brother' glared at him and lunged, yelling a wordless battle cry. Hiccup dodged again. He always dodged, Dagur couldn't get a hit in, it was almost as if…the Berserker glanced over at Toothless, watching the battle from the edge of the ring with sharp reptilian focus. _Gotcha, Hiccup._

This time, when he lunged, Dagur stuck his foot out to block Hiccup; so the man caught the blow with his shield instead. Dagur shoved with all his might, trying to unbalance Hiccup and knock him back. Hiccup dug his metal foot in; there were small jagged ridges on the underside that provided a grip; and kept his centre of gravity low. Then he simply rapped Dagur's knuckles with his sword, making him jerk and loosen his grip on the axe, which Hiccup shoved out of his hands. "I win" he grinned.

Dagur looked from him to the axe on the ground, and back to Hiccup. He gave a slightly maniacal laugh and held a hand out to shake. "Yeah, you won – cos you were cheating!" Dagur cried, twisting Hiccup into a headlock and gave him a noogie. Hiccup struggled and cried out, "Toothless!"

A black blur raced over, and knocked both men to the ground. Hiccup rolled out of Dagur's grasp and hauled himself upright, leaving the Berserker Chief pinned under Toothless' paws. "Using your dragon to win is _cheating_ " Dagur repeated with a moan. Toothless warbled playfully and stepped back.

"I prefer to think of it as 'playing to my strengths'" Hiccup smirked, leaning against Toothless' shoulder as Dagur clambered to his feet. "I didn't _ask_ him to help…he just did it. I didn't have the heart to tell him to stop."

"Yeah, well, I do" Astrid countered, as she and Heather walked over from their own sparring session. She looked at the Night-Wing and insisted, "You really need to stop doing that, Toothless. What if Hiccup is fighting someone because he's trying to rescue you? You can't always rely on being there all the time."

Before Toothless could respond, Helena rushed over and ran into Hiccup's legs. "Daddy! I wanna have a honey cake" she declared, tugging at his belt.

Hiccup glanced at Astrid, and noticed her disapproving expression, but completely misinterpreted it. "Now, Helena, what have we told you about asking for things nicely?" he prompted the little girl.

She huffed impatiently and repeated, "I wanna have a honey cake, _please_."

"That's better. Come on, then, let's go see Mrs Burncrust" he encouraged (2).

Astrid intervened then. "Helena, you can't have a honey cake" she said firmly.

"Why not?" Helena whined.

"We want one too!" Cammie insisted, "don't we, Ozzie?" Her twin brother looked like he wanted to disagree, but one glare from Cammie and he nodded quickly, albeit unenthusiastically.

"Tough. You know you're not allowed to have so many sweet snacks before dinner, young lady" Astrid warned her daughter, before adding "If you're hungry, you can have an apple."

"But I really, really, really, _really_ want a honey cake!" Helena protested, stamping her little foot. Seeing her mother unmoved, she spun around and wailed to her dad instead. "Daddy! Mummy's being _mean_!" she cried, lower lip trembling pathetically.

Hiccup felt his heart tug at the sight, especially when Ebony crept up and began to pout as well (3). He glanced up at Astrid, who glared at him. "Oh…c'mon, Astrid, one little cake won't hurt her – um, them" he corrected, seeing Cammie pointing at herself and Ozzie. "Can't you let it go just this once?"

"No, I can't, because _one_ of us has to be a responsible parent, Hiccup."

"What – are you saying _I'm_ irresponsible? How am I…?"

"You spoil her! You know you do, and so does she, that's why she went to you first!" Astrid pointed out, exasperated.

"Okay, yeah, maybe I do…that makes me the bad parent?" Hiccup demanded incredulously. " _I'm_ the irresponsible one? That's rich, coming from someone who's thought about which _weapon_ to train our little girl to use."

"When she's older! Hiccup, don't make this about me. Helena shouldn't be snacking before dinner, and not on sweet stuff like that. I know her, it won't be just one cake" Astrid insisted.

"Will too!" Helena cried, stamping her foot again, having a right little strop. Hiccup moved to comfort her, but Astrid stepped in the way.

"Don't, Hiccup. And you, little lady, stop having that tantrum right now!" she scolded Helena, who growled stubbornly. "Don't you growl at me! You're just tired, that's the problem. A nice nap, that's what you need."

"I don't want a nap! I want a honey cake!" Frustrated - because she _was_ tired – Helena resorted to a tactic that had never failed her in the past. There was a reason her nickname was Helena the Howler. She took a deep breath, screwed her eyes shut and _screamed._

Astrid grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Stop that right – aah!" She stumbled back, clutching her bleeding arm, staring in shock at Ebony who had just lunged and _bit_ her. Everyone moved at once – Selena leapt forwards to grab Ebony and pull her away, Hiccup scooped up Helena as she burst into actual tears, Dagur and Heather held back their son/nephew and daughter/niece.

Toothless made to lick Astrid's wound, saying *Let me help*, but she shook her head and moved away from him. "I…I need to see Gothi" she murmured, clearly shaken up. Stormfly crouched to let her climb on, and took off without a backwards glance.

The sound of the Spike-Tail's wings startled Hiccup out of his shock. He put Helena down, distractedly told the others to "Watch the kids" and vaulted into the saddle. Toothless didn't need to be told to follow Stormfly.

When they'd gone, Dagur looked over at his sister and remarked, "This is why I'm glad Bersa doesn't come on these trips."

* * *

They found Astrid and Stormfly at the bottom of the stilted hut Gothi resided in. "Astrid? How…how's your arm?" Hiccup asked tentatively.

"Fine" she shrugged, holding it up. There was a strip of cloth tied around the wound, a salve on it, going by the green tinge underneath. "It wasn't deep. I've had worse."

Relieved she was okay, Hiccup still felt the need to add, "It…it _was_ an accident. Ebony would never hurt you on purpose."

"I know."

"You just frightened her. She thought you were attacking Helena."

"I know."

"Why'd you do that? I know she shouldn't have been screaming, but you just grabbed her - for a second I was scared you were going to _hit_ her. Astrid, she's just a little girl" –

"I know!" Astrid snapped. Then she groaned and buried her face in her hands. When she didn't look up, Hiccup stepped over and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm a horrible mother" she declared.

"No, you're not" Hiccup shook his head at her.

"I am" Astrid said stubbornly, "I don't know what I'm _doing_."

"Neither do I! First time parents, learning as we go" Hiccup shrugged, stepping in front of her. "Astrid, you are a great mom to Helena. You're doing fine. It's me who's...look, you're right, I do spoil her. I can't help it. She's…she's my little girl" he said fondly, smiling at the thought.

Astrid couldn't help but smile as well. "Our little sunshine" she nodded; that was why they'd named her 'Helena', it meant 'sun', and she was the light of their lives. Astrid felt so bad for what happened. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm just worried about her. She _growled_ at me, that's not normal; she doesn't spend much time with kids her own age, and the ones she does, Cammie and Ozzie don't live here and Aegir can't speak – I mean that's not the boy's fault but still" – at last Astrid noticed her husband's attention was elsewhere.

"Hiccup, are you even _listening_ to me?!"

"Yeah, sure" he waved her off, distracted by the sight of a purple Titan-Wing Fire-Scale approaching the island. "Is that Liekki? Sorry, Astrid, I uh – we've gotta see what's going on" Hiccup said apologetically, climbing into the saddle. Toothless briefly crooned _apology_ and quickly took off.

"Oh, okay, fine! We'll just talk about this later, then? _Urgh_!"

Stormfly clucked sympathetically and remarked, *Sorry, Astrid, but I think they'll always be like that.*

"You mean cos they're the Alphas?"

*No*, Stormfly tossed her head, *because they're males.*

Astrid laughed at that, and gratefully pet her friend's muzzle. "Come on, girl. Let's find Helena and Ebony, I – I need to apologise."

* * *

(1) The students know Hiccup can hear thought-speak, but not about the heart bind; they think it was granted by the gods because Hiccup is like 'the chosen one' or something.

(2) She lives up to her name. Well, there must be a reason Hiccup suggested they needed another 'bread making Viking', lol ;)

(3) 'Beg' was the first trick Helena taught Ebony, and the two of them have put it to good use ever since.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Four

Toothless and Hiccup flew out to intercept Liekki and guide her down to the now empty training ring below the Academy, away from the village. They landed on the edge above it, to be nearer her head, and even then she dwarfed them. This didn't bother them. "Liekki!" Hiccup called up to her, "Good to see you! Is something wrong?"

The amethyst coloured Fire-Scale lowered her head to greet them. *Alphas* she rumbled in acknowledgement, *Yes, something is very wrong. I came to warn you* Liekki revealed.

*About what?* Toothless demanded, bristling at the thought of a new threat.

*Humans!* Liekki snarled, *Stranger-intruders, on _my_ island!*

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Hunters?" he asked immediately, needing to know.

Before the Fire-Scale could explain, they were interrupted by the flap of dragon wings. "Did you say hunters? Dragon hunters, right?" Braun asked eagerly. "Bring it on! Firestorm and I can take 'em."

Hiccup turned to find his five new apprentices and their dragons behind them. Liekki eyed them warily; she didn't know these humans, but she supposed if the dragons they were riding allowed them on their backs, they couldn't be too bad. If the Alphas weren't alarmed, neither should she be.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Being your students, duh" Brenda answered, rolling her eyes at him from behind Spark's spiked crown. "You're the one who said we were gonna learn on the job. You're doing your job, so we're here to learn."

"I did say that, didn't I?" Hiccup recalled. He supposed he might as well turn this into a lesson. "I don't know if it is hunters. Liekki just said there were strangers on her…oh, I almost forgot. Everyone, this is Liekki, she's mine and Toothless' beta – like, our second in command – on Outcast Island. Liekki, these are friends" he reassured her, though she seemed calm enough.

Braun heard the words 'Outcast Island' and scowled, snatching up his hatchet. "Somebody's trespassing on my home? Oh, those suckers are gonna pay! Up, Firestorm!" he ordered. The Fire-Scale spread his wings to take off, but a roar of *Wait!* from Toothless stopped him.

"No, no, no, Braun, don't" Hiccup said urgently, "We still don't know what this is really about, you guys can't just fly off without any idea what you're getting into. Liekki, who is – or was – intruding? What did they look like?" he asked.

Liekki growled uneasily, her body sparking with flame. *I've never seen humans like them* she confessed. *They were covered in fur, but their bare skin was brown. They shot me and my mate Ferocious and many of our pack with darts, darts that made us frozen, we couldn't move!*

Toothless growled, claws digging into the dirt. *So they _were_ hunters* he snarled angrily. They'd been afraid of this, that dragon hunters would move in now that they believed Hiccup to be dead. Well, these hunters would soon find out that just because Hiccup was 'gone', it didn't mean these islands were undefended. *If we hurry we can still rescue the dragons they've taken.*

*No dragons _were_ taken, Alpha-Toothless* Liekki explained, *I made sure of it, they're all still there. These strange humans, their leader tricked me into setting a tree on fire. Then they froze all of us who had come to chase them away, and burned the tree and took the ashes. I watched them do it.* It wasn't as if she'd had much choice.

Hiccup frowned. None of this made any sense. He quickly got the students up to speed. "She says the strangers who came to her island had dark skin – they must be from the south – and they had blow-darts, that froze her and the other dragons, but they didn't capture anyone. And that they burned a tree and took the ash" he summarised.

"A tree? Why would they burn a tree?" Brenda scoffed.

"That's a good question. Liekki, what kind of tree was it?" Hiccup inquired.

Braun answered before Liekki could. "It must've been a Loki tree. It's pretty much the only kind of tree that grows on Outcast Island" he shrugged.

"So what do these strangers want with Loki tree ash?" wondered Otto.

Margret asked, "Did you say she said their darts _froze_ her? Doesn't she mean 'stunned'?" After all, that was what blow-darts were for.

"No, no, she definitely said 'froze'. Uh, Liekki? What exactly did you mean by 'froze'?" Hiccup asked her.

Liekki huffed an impatient plume of smoke and replied, *I mean one moment I was attacking them, the next I was like this!* She adopted the same position and expression as when she was frozen.

The others stared, and then Braun remarked "Huh. That kinda looks like when Firestorm got jabbed by a Speed Stinger that one time."

"Braun, that's it! They must have darts laced with Speed Stinger venom. That stuff is potent enough to paralyse a full grown dragon. Using it like this is – is…"

"Devious and sneaky?" Brenda supplied.

"Yeah. Though, credit where it's due, that would be very effective" he noted.

Ashildr pointed at him and glared through narrowed eyes. "Who's side are you on?" she demanded suspiciously.

"One can admire the method but disapprove of the reasons, Ashildr" Hiccup told her. "But never mind that; we've got bigger problems. Liekki, are you absolutely sure they didn't capture any dragons?"

*I am certain, Alpha-Hiccup* Liekki insisted, growling _frustration_ a bit that they didn't believe her. Hiccup reached up to her, murmuring "Easy there…calm down. We believe you. Thank you for warning us, Liekki" he said gratefully, placing a hand on her snout. Her growls morphed into purrs and she relaxed at his touch. Toothless looked on with pride; his brother was so good with their subjects, reassuring them and strengthening their resolve.

Margret had dismounted from her Rock-Tail and gingerly approached the massive Fire-Scale. "Um, excuse me…Liekki?" She glanced at Hiccup uncertainly, not sure if she was pronouncing it right. He nodded encouragingly, and gestured for her to continue.

More confidently, she asked "Did these strangers have a ship? Do you know which way it went?" Then to Hiccup, she explained, "If we find their ship, we can find out what they're really doing here."

"Speed Stinger venom can take hours to wear off; these people could be anywhere by now. But you're right, Margret, we ought to try and find them, if just to keep an eye on them" he decided. "Liekki?"

*I didn't see a ship, but a few of my pack-mates did. They said it had a deep belly and a wide back with net throwers on it, and a big square sail with three jagged blue lines on it, all joined in the middle* Liekki explained.

"Jagged lines…middle…so the insignia looks something like…this" Hiccup said, showing them a hastily drawn sketch of what looked like a trio of lightning bolts.

Brenda frowned. "That doesn't look like what dragon hunters would have on their sail" she commented.

"Yeah" said Otto, "They always have like, dragons getting stabbed with swords or summat…err, no offence" he added to their own dragons, who shrugged.

"So, which way did it go?" Margret prompted. All eyes turned to Liekki, who shook her head. *I don't know.*

"Liekki, before you go back, fly out to Dragon Island, please, and warn Thornado of what you've seen" Hiccup instructed. "Tell him what I'm telling you – that if you or any dragon sees this ship, to keep an eye on it but _not_ to go near it, is that clear?" He waited until she nodded, and stepped back, saying "Then go, and safe winds to you."

Liekki reared up, her huge wings casting a shadow over them, and the downdraft from her leap nearly knocking them over. Making a half-hearted attempt to smooth down his hair, Hiccup turned to the young adults behind him. "The ship must be sailing from Outcast Island; round up the A-team, pair up and fly out there to search for it, find out which way it's heading, then come straight back here and tell me what you've found, or when it gets dark, whichever comes first. Do not, and I mean it, do _not_ try to engage them in combat. If just one of those darts hits your dragon, they will freeze up and fall into the sea. Be careful" he implored them.

"We will, Hiccup. Don't worry about us, we can handle it" Brenda said confidently. They returned to their dragons; Brenda to Flare, Otto to Boulder, Braun to Firestorm, Ashildr to Magpie and Margret to Gurgle. The two Spike-Tails, two Rock-Tails and one Fire-Scale took wing one by one and split up to find the members of the A-Team. _Always have a wingman when out on missions_ , the mantra had been drilled into them at the Academy.

* * *

Meanwhile, Astrid had gone to find her daughter and niece. Stormfly easily tracked them down outside their home, where to her dismay, Astrid found Helena in tears as Heather tried to comfort her. Ebony was huddled at her mother's paws, wide eyes fixed on Astrid as she and Stormfly came into land. Swinging out of the saddle, Astrid walked over and crouched down near Helena.

"Hey, sweetheart. C'mere" she beckoned, and Heather gently nudged her niece into Astrid's arms. She hugged Helena to her with one arm and held out her other hand to Ebony. "You too, Bunny" Astrid encouraged, using the young kits nickname in the hopes of reassuring her. Whimpering uncertainly, Ebony nonetheless crept forwards and let Astrid pet her.

The little girl sniffled. "Sorry, mummy" she murmured, so soft it was lucky she was right beside Astrid's ear, or her mother might have missed it. Ebony whined. She hadn't managed to think-speak yet, but it was clear she meant 'I'm sorry too'. Astrid stroked her daughters hair and her nieces scaly head.

"It's okay, girls. I'm sorry I grabbed you like that, Helena; I shouldn't have been so rough with you. I know that's why you bit me, Ebony – you were just scared. I'm sorry I scared you. Can you two forgive me?" she had to ask. Helena sniffled again and nodded, "Mm-hm." Ebony nodded as well, although it was more likely she was just mimicking her cousin. Astrid counted it anyway.

She pressed a kiss to the top of both their heads. "Sweetie, I'm only strict with you because I want to be sure you're raised well. Your Nana and Papa were pretty strict with me too, you know. You're the first child I've ever had, and I don't always know what I'm doing, believe it or not. I don't let you have lots of sweet snacks because they're not good for you, and you get cranky when you're tired, but you get even more cranky when you've had sweet stuff _and_ you're tired" Astrid tried to explain.

"I'm not tired" Helena protested, right before she yawned. "'M fine" she mumbled, even as her eyelids drooped.

Astrid chuckled and lifted Helena into her arms. "I'm thinking we should settle these three down for a bit" she suggested to Dagur and Heather, who were holding Cammie and Ozzie respectively. "All that play-fighting has worn you out, hasn't it? You can have a nice rest now; and if you're good, you can have a honey cake _after_ dinner" Astrid told her daughter, who beamed.

Selena stepped forwards, nuzzled Ebony and crouched to let the little kit climb onto her back. *I'm so sorry she bit you, Astrid* the female Swift-Wing crooned apologetically, but Astrid waved her off. "It's not your fault, Selena; and there's no real harm done. I've seen worse" she shrugged.

It was a lovely day, so they sat outside together and chatted as Astrid braided her daughters hair. "Where's Hiccup?" asked Dagur, puzzled, turning to Astrid, "I thought he was with you?"

She waved a hand vaguely and replied, "Dragon problem. Their beta from Outcast Island, Liekki, wanted to see him and Toothless about something."

"Was that the huge Nightmare we saw heading right for the island?" he went on, "Cos Sleuther and I were totally gonna intercept and challenge them, but uh…when we saw how none of the other dragons were getting riled up we figured she was probably a friend" Dagur bluffed.

Astrid raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She left that to Heather. "Sure you did, Dagur" his sister smirked at him, "You totally didn't see her coming and rush us all out of there to go warn Hiccup, only to realise he and Toothless already knew about it." She and Astrid sniggered whilst Dagur just scowled.

"It's for the best, really" Astrid mused, once she'd caught her breath. "Liekki is technically part of our pack, but the dragons living on Outcast Island have always been…wilder, more aggressive, even more than the ones on Dragon Island. From what I hear, Liekki isn't the biggest fan of humans, even if they have a dragon partner. Hiccup is the only human she really trusts."

"Hiccup is something else" Heather remarked, impressed. Even _she_ had been given pause by the size of the Monstrous – no, the _Fire-Scale_ , she had to keep reminding herself of their new name, old habits died hard. To know that Hiccup had befriended and tamed her, a dragon that was probably large enough to eat him in one bite (if not for Toothless); if she didn't have so much respect for him already, that would be enough.

"How does he do it?" Dagur wondered, both impressed and kind of annoyed. "What's his secret? I've been wondering that for _years._ You know it, Astrid, right? He must have told you. Cos I've asked Hiccup, over and over, but he just keeps saying there _is_ no secret" he complained.

Astrid shrugged. "That's what he tells me, too. That he's just nice to them, offers no threat, and they respond to that. Anyone could do it, he says, it's just that most people won't. Besides, you know he can talk to them now, that probably helps a lot" she pointed out.

Dagur shook his head. "He was like this _way_ before he could talk to them. Maybe it's something to do with this 'soul of a dragon' thing he keeps mentioning" the Berserker Chief mused, "Maybe they can sense it somehow. Hey, can you guys sense Hiccup's dragon soul?" he inquired of Sleuther, Windshear and Selena. Then he huffed and turned to Astrid again. "Can you translate for me? It's so not fair that _you_ get to hear thought-speak and we don't" Dagur grumbled.

It took a while, but they thought they'd finally worked out why Astrid, Stoick and Valka could hear and understand the dragons thought-speak, despite not being heart bound, but no one else could for more than a couple of hours at most. It was all about _closeness._ Not physical closeness, although that was necessary at first, but emotional ties. It all centred on Hiccup.

 _He_ was the one keeping the connection to the dragons open – he was, as he'd said to Astrid, the bridge. And just as a bridge could only hold so much weight, so too could Hiccup's mind only cope with so many connections. The bonds of love and blood between himself, Astrid and his parents strengthened it, allowing him to bridge the gap without pain.

On the other hand, despite being honorary siblings, Heather and Dagur weren't truly related to him. And although he did care about them, he just wasn't as close to them as to Astrid. Bridging the divide for them, permanently, just couldn't be done. Hiccup had tried, and ended up with a migraine that laid him up in bed sick for a day and a night.

"It's love" Helena piped up, looking up from her game of fetch with Ebony and a stick, actually a bit of broken spear. Seeing the grown-ups looking confused, the little girl explained, " _That's_ the secret, Uncle Dagur. Daddy loves all the dragons, and they can tell cos they're clever, so they love him back."

Astrid smiled fondly, running a hand over her daughters hair. _Out of the mouths of babes._ "Did your dad tell you that?" she asked.

"Nuh-uh."

"Did you figure it out yourself?"

"Uh-huh!"

"You're a very smart girl" Astrid praised, before prompting "So tell us, then, how did you work it out?"

Helena looked up at her and replied simply, "Cos that's how he made friends with Uncle Toothless."

"She might be onto something" Heather conceded, "Dragons are very good at picking up on body language and emotions. Hiccup _does_ love dragons, and he's so genuine about it that they…probably can't help but trust him" she suggested.

* * *

It was at that moment that Toothless-Hiccup came in for a landing. "We were just talking about you" Astrid grinned, seeing Helena's face light up as she and Ebony scrambled to greet their fathers. "Helena's figured out your secret to training dragons" she added.

"Oh? What did you say it was?" Hiccup asked his daughter curiously.

"Love!" she cheered, and he laughed.

"That's right! But you know, it's no secret how much I love _you_ " Hiccup beamed, nuzzling his nose against Helena's in an Eskimo kiss. Then he set her back down, and she happily skipped over to where Ebony was discovering the joy of playing 'chase the light spot'. The other dragons watched with interest, refraining from trying to catch the ever elusive shiny thing (stupid pouncing instincts) for fear of hurting the little ones.

Hiccup smiled fondly, then looked up at Astrid, Heather and Dagur with a serious expression. "We need to talk."

* * *

In a low voice, Hiccup passed on Liekki's message. "They must be from the south" he reasoned, "if they have darker skin, and from what I gathered…hang on…" he took out his sketchbook, "Their insignia looks something like this." Hiccup showed them the sketch of three jagged lines, radiating out from a single point in a sort of spiral. "Only blue" he added.

Astrid's brow furrowed. "We've never seen dragon hunters with an insignia like that before" she noted, just as Brenda had.

"But _were_ they hunters?" Heather wondered, "Like Hiccup said, they haven't captured any dragons. They just…burned a tree."

"Who burns trees?" questioned Dagur. Astrid frowned. Something about this niggled at her, it seemed oddly _familiar_ …but she couldn't put her finger on it (1).

Hiccup reasoned, "They must have at least captured a Speed Stinger, if they're using the venom of one in their darts. I sent my…apprentices…to see if they can find this ship and which way it's heading" he explained.

"By themselves?" Astrid questioned.

"They've paired up with the A-Team. Liekki said they didn't take any dragons, but that might be because they already have too many captured. I don't know about you, but I want to know who these people are and what they're doing here. Besides, there's a chance they don't see dragons the way most hunters do, if they're even hunters at all. Maybe I can persuade them to join our side."

" _You_ can?" Astrid raised an eyebrow.

"You can help" he added quickly, but she just shook her head at him.

"That's not what I meant. Hiccup, maybe it slipped your mind, but you're supposed to be in _hiding._ You can't just let complete strangers see you."

Hiccup nearly gaped at her. "Wha-really, Astrid? These people aren't even from the north! They won't have even _heard_ of me, let alone that I'm supposedly a dragon army leading warlord, or whatever it is Adulfr has been telling people about me" he protested.

"And once they do hear about you, once they see you, they'll talk about you and word will get out that you're not really dead" Astrid countered.

"Not if I can make them into allies, get them to keep the secret" Hiccup insisted.

Dagur raised a hand and inquired, "Are you two having another marital spat? Cos Heather and I can give you some privacy, if you want."

"We're not arguing" Astrid said firmly. "I'm sorry, Hiccup, but we can't risk anyone, especially not complete strangers who could very well be _hostile,_ finding out you're alive. Maybe…maybe one day" she relented a bit, "when people have had time to forget, but not now. It's too soon."

She could see how disappointed he was, but Astrid's resolve held firm. Then Hiccup asked quickly, "What if I wore a disguise?"

Astrid sighed. "Hiccup, please, enough already. Have you guys warned all the dragons about this new enemy?"

"We were just about to go do that, Chief" Hiccup replied curtly, slipping his notebook back under his armour and turning to leave.

"Hiccup! For Odin's sake, don't be so childish!" Astrid called after him, exasperated. He paused at the door, but then pulled it open and stepped out without a backwards glance.

An uncomfortable silence descended, but it was soon broken by Dagur remarking, "Well…that was awkward."

* * *

Without needing to be asked, Toothless took him to the top of the mountain, and then higher. Up and up they went, until the air grew thinner and their breaths came shorter. Up there, as far from the village and the nest as they could get and still be in sight, Hiccup threw his head back and roared.

It was a very dragon thing to do.

*Are you done?* Toothless asked, when his rider gave up screaming into the void. Hiccup glared at him. *Astrid is just trying to help, you know* the dragon said reasonably, glancing back at Hiccup as best as he could.

With a groan, Hiccup dragged a hand over his face. *I know…I shouldn't have just walked out on her like that. I'm gonna get an earful when we go back home* he grimaced. *I know she's right, I know I only have myself to blame, but it's still… _frustrating._ I'm…I'm not wrong for feeling that, am I? It's not wrong to wish things were – that they could be different.*

*Of course not* Toothless warbled kindly, *but we don't know anything about these people. For all we know, they're in league with Adulfr* he pointed out.

*Fair point* Hiccup conceded. That _would_ be just his luck.

*If they're not, though…* Toothless went on, *Maybe it doesn't have to be _us_ that changes their minds. We have help; we're not in this alone.*

*Oh, with you I'm never alone* Hiccup smiled, stroking his head affectionately. He sighed and said, *We can't stay up here all day.* They flew down towards the mountain, and then Stormfly flew up to join them, alone.

*What's wrong?* Hiccup asked, his mind immediately jumping to Astrid, wondering why her dragon was here if she was not. Were she and Helena okay?

*Nothing, Alpha-Hiccup* Stormfly reassured him, *Astrid just wanted me to tell you that you're being immature and setting a bad example for your daughter. Also that she's told the villagers about these strangers whilst you were up here sulking* the Spike-Tail explained as they hovered together.

*I'm not sulking* Hiccup denied automatically. *Thanks for the message, Stormfly. Tell her…tell her I'm sorry, and that I'm still gonna try and persuade these strangers – if we find them – to our side. I'm just not going to do it alone. Now, if you'll excuse us, Toothless and I have to warn the rest of our subjects.*

*Yes, Alpha-Hiccup* Stormfly chirped obediently, folding her wings and diving away. Toothless flew down to perch on the spire of rock into which the Great Hall was built. They could fly around the island, telling all the dragons they found about these strangers in their waters, but there was an easier way.

Toothless-Hiccup closed their eyes, took deep breaths, and focused. They opened their minds to the pack web, thinking of all their subjects. Hiccup held an image of the ship, based on Liekki's description, in his mind. Toothless reached out with his will, urging their flock-mates * **Listen*** and * **Warning** *, and gently pushed Hiccup's image of the stranger-intruder's ship into their minds.

An Alpha's will was as unique as the Alpha themselves; it had an _essence,_ a particular sensation tied in some way to the Alpha themselves. The will of the Red Death had felt like being dragged inexorably down into a deep, hot, suffocating abyss, burying consciousness in endless hunger. The will of the King felt like being swept up in a vast, cool, endless ocean, borne by the waves and submerged but never drowning. Urchin's will, back when he used it, felt like being frozen in ice, blank and cold and consuming. Perhaps his will would feel differently now that he had changed. Perhaps not. Who knew?

Queen Phoebe's will didn't feel like any particular _thing_ , moreso the feeling of security, of coming home. It did not have as overwhelming an essence as that of the Giants, for they alone were old and powerful enough to command even dragons not of their flock. The essences of most Queen's and Alpha's wills reflected their personalities or something they cared about.

The will of Toothless-Hiccup felt like flying. It felt like the warmth of rising thermals, the rushing wind of free fall. It felt like a storm. It felt like freedom.

* **Be wary** * they urged their flock-mates, warning them of this unfamiliar maybe-threat, and felt a surge of acknowledgement as their dragons replied, * _Yes, Alphas._ * Then the connection faded to the back of their minds once more.

Hiccup opened his eyes and noticed that they were garnering an audience. All the dragons nearby were watching them eagerly, and he could see several villagers looking up at them and pointing. *Well, if they're watching anyway, bud…* he said temptingly, snapping out the tail-fin. Toothless grinned dragon-style and leapt, beat his wings; then flipped over in a somersault and plunged.

Down they went, levelling off with a roar just above the doors to the Great Hall and speeding over the village, eliciting appreciative cheers from the crowd. They did a lap of the village – the Academy, the dragon race stands, the reservoir, the windmill – before coming in for a landing in the plaza, outside the forge. Everyone watching applauded. Hiccup and Toothless grinned at each other and bowed. "Thank you, thank you, we'll be here all week!"

The villagers chuckled, with one exception. "Yeah, yeah, think you're a real joker, don't you?" Snotlout called from the forge, scoffing. "Nice of you to come down from your lofty perch on high and mingle with us lowly folk" the man sneered, taking the sword he was hammering out and plunging it into water.

"Well, it's not like you can't come up there with me. You have a dragon partner too…speaking of, where is Hookfang?" Hiccup inquired, noting a distinct lack of crimson Fire-Scale. Usually, when Snotlout was in the forge Hookfang would be helping him, or more likely curled up nearby having a nap.

"How should I know?" the Jorgenson scowled. "Not all of us can talk to our dragons with our minds, you know. He got bored and flew off somewhere." Snotlout gestured at the forge and complained, "I shouldn't be here! When Astrid said I could be her second, I thought I'd get out of doing the grunt work. I'm a _warrior,_ not a blacksmith."

Hiccup frowned, a bit offended. "What's wrong with being a blacksmith?"

"He ain't a blacksmith!" Gobber chose this moment to interrupt. "You ain't a blacksmith, Snotlout. You're a blacksmith's _apprentice_ " he corrected, as if it made a difference. "Look, did ye ever know Stoick not to put 'is all into whatever task was in front of 'im? Being a chief isn't about getting out of the 'grunt work' as ye put it; s'bout getting _into_ it and helpin' yer people."

"Oh, well I guess that explains why you abdicated" Snotlout remarked to Hiccup, who ignored him. Ever since he'd deferred the chieftainship of Berk to Astrid and taken on the role of Dragon Ambassador, he'd been criticised. People saying he was 'shirking his responsibilities' and 'rejecting his birthright'. As if being responsible for the well-being of hundreds of dragons and the smooth relationships between them and the Vikings wasn't enough. As for his so-called 'birthright', the idea that he ought to be leading Berk simply by virtue of being Stoick's only son was ridiculous. Astrid was doing a brilliant job of it herself.

Instead, he gestured to Snotlout's workload and offered, "I can finish that up, if you want. You go find Hookfang."

Snotlout looked surprised. "Why would you do that?" he frowned.

"Because we're…" Hiccup paused. "Because we used to be friends."

The other man looked almost…disappointed…when he said that. Snotlout glanced at the ageing blacksmith and said, "That okay with you, Gobber?"

"Aye, get on wi' ye" Gobber shrugged, waving Snotlout off with his hook.

"Okay, cool. Thanks. But I dunno how I'm gonna find – Hookfang!" he exclaimed, beaming as the Fire-Scale in question swept down to land in the plaza, folding his wings and tail in out of the way. Hookfang was accompanied by Fishlegs and Meatlug. "Aww, Hooky, where've you been? I missed you. What are you doing here, Fishface?"

"I was coming to find you" the stocky bearded blonde explained. "Aegir is just up at Gothi's hut. He's helping her sort the supplies we gathered from Healer Island." Aegir and Gothi had struck up something of an accord with each other, with the little boy acting as a sort of assistant to her and Agnes (2). Perhaps they just liked each other's silent company. "I've got some free time, so I wondered if you'd like to go for a flight?" For some reason Fishlegs smirked and added, "Snotlegs?"

Odder still, Snotlout's cheeks and ears immediately turned pink. "You-!" he spluttered, scowling. "Why would…" At Fishlegs' pointed glare, Snotlout hurriedly said "I mean yeah, sure, I'll go for a flight. I just finished. Thanks again, Gobber. See ya, Hiccup, wouldn't wanna be ya!" They mounted up; Hookfang and Meatlug took to the air and flew out to Healer's Island.

Hiccup turned to Gobber and wondered, "Since when does Snotlout want to go flying with Fishlegs?" Not that there was anything wrong with Fishlegs, Hiccup liked spending time with him, but he and Snotlout seemed an odd pair.

Gobber switched his hook out for a brush and combed his moustache as he explained, "They've been spending more time together ever since Spitelout passed on. After all, Fishlegs lost his dad too, and his brother."

Of course; Fishhook Ingerman and his eldest son Barrel (Brenda, Brant and Shrug's father) had both been killed in the dragon wars. If anyone could help Snotlout deal with the loss of his father, it was Fishlegs. Hiccup got to work, going through the still familiar motions even as he said resignedly, "At least he's still friends with the others."

Gobber shook his head. "It's not you, Hiccup. The man's just…dealing with a lot of things right now. He doesn't hate you like you seem to think he does."

"Yeah, well, he has a funny way of showing it."

"Hey, but this is great, innit? The old team, back together! S'good t'have me favourite apprentice back" Gobber grinned, clapping him on the back.

"Don't tell that to Snotlout. Have you guys thought about taking on a different apprentice?" he wondered. Speaking of which, he wondered how his own were getting on. Had they seen any hint of that ship? "Heh, or several. More hands the better, right? What about, uh…" he cast around for a suitable candidate and failed, but pressed on, "Brant or Shrug?"

Gobber stared at him incredulously. "What sorta water have ye been drinking? Ye think I'm gonna let the twin's lackeys anywhere near me forge?"

"They're not that bad now" Hiccup protested, but he knew what Gobber meant. Brenda Ingerman's younger twin brothers had taken the Thorston's lessons from that… _memorable_ visit to Dragon's Edge to heart. At the Academy they bonded with a Twin-Head, named him/them 'Devious&Sneaky' or 'Deaky' for short, and proceeded to follow in Ruffnut and Tuffnut's mayhem causing footsteps. They'd grown out of that phase by now (more than could be said for Ruff and Tuff), but still…. "It was just a suggestion."

"Ah, don't ye worry 'bout it. We'll figure summat out. 'Sides, it's not like I'm going anywhere! There's plenty o' life left in this old dog" Gobber insisted, wandering off singing to himself. " _Oh I got my axe and I got my mace and I love my dragon though he naps all day, I'm a Viking through and through…"_

Hiccup chuckled to himself and went back to work.

* * *

(1) It's been about 12 years since anyone tried to use the ash of a Loki tree for unsavoury purposes, so I think the characters can be forgiven for overlooking the possibility.

(2) Gothi's apprentice and Gustav's girlfriend (possibly betrothed), first mentioned all the way back in 'Dragon Soul'.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Five

Finding a single ship in the ocean was like finding a needle in a haystack. When that ship had plenty of time to reach its destination, it was almost futile. The crew of the _Tempest_ weighed anchor in a secluded fjord of so called Dogshead Island, and their Seashockers towed the vessel into a convenient sea cave. The mouth could be seen rather clearly from the waves, but it was harder to spot from above; which of course was where the dragons would be.

Nicole sent a few of her crew members out to spy on Berk. By wearing a suit of waterproof dragon scales and lying flat on the Seashocker's backs just below the water, holding their breaths, they could be all but invisible. It was hard to get a good view of the island beyond the mysterious ring of spiky green ice that surrounded it, but eventually the spies returned with word that they had glimpsed two jet-black dragons, and a wasp coloured Triple Stryke.

They now knew for certain that their quarry was nearby, so Nicole decided to go ahead and prepare the bait. The trap could be set late that afternoon, before sundown; after all, she knew that Triple Stryke's tended to be more active in dawn and dusk when it was cooler, and the Night Furies were unlikely to be much different. The clue was in their name.

In the case of the Triple Stryke, the bait was easy. Not long before this job came up, Nicole and her crew had captured a female of the species. A fine specimen, with rust orange and sand yellow scales, fearsome pincer claws and strong, deadly tails. They had it on good authority that the Triple Stryke they sought was male. _It better be,_ thought Nicole, _or heads are going to roll._ Once it got the scent of the female, surely it wouldn't be able to resist. All animals had the same basic urges, after all. Food, shelter, sex; their target Triple Stryke was no different. _Same as any man, really_ she thought wryly.

As for the Night Furies…if there was a mated pair, then they couldn't rely on luring either in with a potential suitor, let alone both. There was a chance, however, that they'd come to the aid of one of their own. The only problem was that Nicole didn't have a Night Fury to use as bait; but she had the next best thing. She had the Loki tree ash, which they'd mixed with water and acacia gum to make a tar-black paint – and she had two Sand Wraiths.

The nocturnal desert dragons were golden brown in colour, camouflaged in the sand, but they had the same shape as a Night Fury. The Sand Wraith had a few key differences, like a forked tail and tongue, an arrow shaped head, hooked wing claws, a ruff of spikes and sharper spines. Other than that, the resemblance was uncanny. Only the fabled Light Fury, though Nicole didn't think they really existed (seriously, _albino_ Night Furies?), would be closer.

She'd chosen the female Sand Wraith for the bait. The crew had already done most of the work, sawing away the tell-tale spines; they would fetch a decent price on the black market, not as much as a whole body, but still. All that was left was to paint the dragon in black. "I don't even want to see a speck of brown on it" Nicole instructed, as the crew painstakingly covered the unconscious Sand Wraith with the tar-like paint. The tree they had burnt to charcoal had been huge, and yet she feared it would not be enough.

At last, the dragon was covered in black paint and looked, to an undiscerning eye, like a Night Fury that had been harvested. Convincing enough to lure their targets in, or so Nicole fervently hoped. Quite aside from their deadly reputation, Night Furies were renowned for being amongst the most intelligent dragon breeds. Still, the disguise only had to draw them in close enough.

The trappers heaved both the Sand Wraith and the Triple Stryke onto rowboats, carefully lowering them into the ocean. The dragons were knocked out; they were so much easier to deal with that way. The boats were rowed around to the western side of the island, in view of the Isle of Berk. The mountainous island could be glimpsed on the horizon. "You realise the odds of them flying out here are very slim, right?" Cateline asked.

Rolling her eyes, Nicole countered with "Must you criticise everything? We have the dragon-heart oil, just a drop or two will make the bait _irresistible._ Is the blind set up yet?" she demanded of her crew.

"We've got it ready just beyond the tree line, Captain. What about the dragons? They'll be waking up soon" Gelvira pointed out.

"Sooner than you think. Please tell me someone remembered the oil – Ah, thank you, Clarencia" Nicole smiled, taking the stoppered flask and stepping over to the Triple Stryke first. She uncorked it and wrinkled her nose; it wasn't an unpleasant odour, exactly, moreso an unusual one. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it" Nicole remarked to the unconscious dragon as she poured a bit of oil onto its snout. The Triple Stryke's nostrils flared at the scent, even in sleep.

The flowering shrub from which they took the oil grew in arid land, in deserts. The plant used lizards to carry away its seed pods and scatter their precious contents, usually with a generous helping of dung, but it had an unusual method of attracting its would-be seed carriers. The oil secreted by the pods could only be described as a reptilian aphrodisiac.

Nicole vividly remembered when she'd first come across the shrubs, and found several horned lizards enthusiastically going at it like bunnies all around the plants. Locals in Egypt, where the plant was most common, called it _sahaliat shahwa_ ; lizard lust. Intrigued by the oils peculiar properties, Nicole had experimented and found that, when highly concentrated, the oil could be used as an aphrodisiac for dragons. In her line of work, it was a godsend (1).

Soon both dragons had oil dripped on them, and were on the verge of waking up. "It's a shame having to do this, but we don't have a choice. They'll survive it." Nicole ordered, "Break their wings."

* * *

"I can't believe you!" Snotlout practically bellowed. "I can't believe you called me that, in public!"

Fishlegs rolled his eyes. So did Meatlug and Hookfang. "Snotlout, would you relax? They don't suspect a thing. What are you complaining about? You _like it_ when I call you that."

"Yeah, but not where people can _hear_ you" Snotlout protested, cringing. It was supposed to be private, that nickname; a little code just between the two of them. If people heard it, they might put two and two together...gods, his dad was probably scowling in disgust up in Valhalla right now.

He could hear Spitelout's voice in his head. _Let me tell you something, boyo. Some men…ain't real men. Now I don't mean cowards, or weaklings like Stoick's boy. They ain't much, but they're still men, of a sort. But you've gotta watch out for 'rassraugr'_ – Snotlout still remembered the disgusted curl of his father's lip at the foul word – _you know what that means, boyo? It means a man who's let himself be taken like a woman, by another man, and_ liked _it._

It hadn't made any sense back then. Men, having sex with other men? He'd thought his dad was joking. _It ain't no joke, Snotlout. Someone calls you that, you can kill him on the spot, no questions asked. Same if you call another man that. Worse though, is_ being _a_ _rassraugr_. _They ain't right; they're sick in the head. Unnatural. Depraved. Remember, son – a Jorgenson is never a coward, never a weakling, and never,_ _ **ever**_ _a rassraugr. Do you understand?_

 _Yeah, dad. I understand._

He'd understood perfectly. Don't be cowardly, don't be weak, don't be a sodomite. The first two he was, without a doubt. Years of winning the Thawfest Games were undeniable proof that Snotlout was no weakling; he was the strongest of all of them, except maybe Astrid. Not that he'd ever admit that. As for being a coward…well, he'd gladly challenge to holmgang anyone who dared to call him that, either behind his back or to his face.

Snotlout maintained that not wanting to venture into deep, unfamiliar tunnels, or tangle with Scauldrons and Whispering Deaths was not _cowardice_ – it was just being sensible. There was a difference between being brave and having a death wish, after all. Something no-one had ever told Hiccup, apparently.

He tried so, _so_ hard to be the perfect son…and he'd failed. At first Snotlout hadn't realised the terrible truth, and when he did he'd denied it, especially to himself. He wasn't _that._ He couldn't possibly be _that._ He was a lady-killer, an irresistible stud – it was Astrid who was in denial about her obvious attraction to him, clearly. Okay, maybe she just had more of a thing for skinny uppity brats. No, he was not _crushing_ on Dagur, he just admired the guy! Platonically!

Then _it_ had happened. That fateful night. The whole debacle with the Changewing eggs, everything spiralling out of control until _Fishlegs,_ heart-on-his-sleeve wimp Fishlegs, had got right up in Snotlout's face, looking angrier than Snotlout could ever remember seeing him. He'd _demanded_ attention, respect, the sort of respect Snotlout could only dream of.

For a moment, all Snotlout had been able to think was – _Oh my Thor that was hot, take me now._

It was wrong, _so wrong._ If the village discovered his humiliating secret, he could kiss his standing, the esteem he worked so hard to earn, goodbye. He wouldn't be a real man; he'd be a freak, worse than when Hiccup was the outcast. _Here comes Snotlout, the man-whore._ The very idea made his insides shrivel up in shame. So why, oh why, couldn't he stop thinking about it?

Ever since then, he'd pestered and annoyed Fishlegs as much as possible, trying to provoke him again. It hadn't really worked; if anything, Fishface learned to ignore him more than getting riled up by him. Snotlout had been delighted when he'd gotten hypnotised. Here was his chance! He could make Fishlegs be the man that Snotlout dreamed of…being, not being _with._ Or so he'd told himself at the time. It didn't matter if he openly fawned over Thor Bonecrusher, because _everyone_ was fawning over Thor Bonecrusher. Well, almost.

It had backfired horribly, of course. 'Thor' had been rude, even cruel at times, and unlike Fishlegs he clearly didn't give a damn about Snotlout. He'd hated to think that Fish really saw him as just a dumb lackey to do his bidding; just because he ( _might have_ ) had a few fantasies about being dominated by the man ( _in battle, not in_ _ **bed**_ ), it didn't mean he wanted to be…less than him.

It had taken a lot of apologies on Fishlegs' part after the second time he'd become Thor for Snotlout to be reassured. ( _"I get it, Fishface, you were just faking. Sheesh, don't be such a worry wart, I can take a joke.")_

For years, he'd buried the _wrongness_ inside him, ashamed. Until he'd learned that Gobber was one of _them_ – a 'rasser', he called himself. So was Tuffnut. At first he thought ' _this explains why they're so strange',_ but he couldn't bring himself to reject them. They were his friends, afflicted with the same curse as him. They were all in the same boat up the same creek. Snotlout began to wonder if being a 'rasser' wasn't as bad as his father had always claimed.

He could never work up the courage to tell Spitelout this to his face. Then, his da had been killed. Snotlout was furious – with the hunters, with Adulfr, with Hiccup, with himself. Nobody could _possibly_ understand what he was going through - except that somebody did. Fishlegs knew what it was like to lose someone. None of the others could compare, especially not…

* * *

"-lout? Snotlout! Hello? Are you in there?"

Hookfang helpfully set his horns on fire, briefly, making his rider jerk in the saddle and blow frantically on his palms. "Ow! Seriously, Hooky? Oh, sorry, Fishlout – legs! Fishlegs, uh – I mean, you say something, Fishface?"

The other man raised an eyebrow. "You okay? You kinda zoned out on me there. Also, you can call me 'Fishlout'. I really don't mind if you call me that – or _where_ " he added pointedly.

Snotlout blushed. "Uh, yeah, okay. But I _do_ mind, you know. So uh, you can call me 'Snotlegs', but only when we're alone, got it?"

"Oh, sure, so it's alright for you to call me 'Fishface', but not for me to" –

"Hey! I only call you that because I care. Besides, it makes sense. Fish _have_ faces – sort of. They've got mouths, anyway. You know what they don't have? Legs."

Fishlegs rolled his eyes again. "I _told_ you, my mam wanted to name me 'Fishtail', but it was already taken. They had to improvise."

"Did they ever. What _is_ it with your lot and fish?"

"Watch it, _Snotlegs_. The Ingermans are the" –

"Oldest family of fishermen and sailors on Berk, carrying on a proud and long-standing tradition!" Snotlout parroted, "Yearly winners of the annual regatta, before one of 'em turned out to have a seasick dragon" he grinned.

Meatlug grumbled. Fishlegs patted her reassuringly and glowered at Snotlout. "Ha, ha, very funny. I'm surprised you remembered what I said."

"Oh, I remember every boring thing you say, Fishface. Somebody ought to."

"I can't think why you'd wanna remember what I say, if it's so boring."

Again, an adorable pink flush appeared on Snotlout's cheeks. "Uh, y'know, maybe 'boring' was the wrong word. I meant…soothing. Your voice could put anyone to sleep."

"Gee, thanks. I could say the same about you; Aegir loves the lullabies you sing him, y'know. Heh. Maybe you should sing _me_ a lullaby one of these days."

And now, a scoff. "Oh, please. I wouldn't sing you a _lullaby_ , Fishface, I'd sing – uh…"

"Sing me poetry?" Fishlegs teased, "Bring me rings of gold?"

The blush was back in full force, and close to matching the shade of Hookfang's scales. "S-something like that. Th-the gold, I mean. Not the poetry. Snotlout Jorgenson doesn't _do_ poetry."

"Oh, really? Well, fortunately for you, Fishlegs Ingerman does!" He cleared his throat exaggeratedly. "I call this piece, 'Ode to Snotlout'. _Oh…_ "

A dragon's shriek rent the air; Meatlug snarled, Hookfang flamed up.

Their riders were shocked as well. "What the heck was that?!"

"A dragon – it sounds like they're hurt! It came from up ahead, come on!"

Hookfang and Meatlug put on a burst of speed, hurrying towards the sound of the shriek. A second cry rang out, then all was silent, but they could have only come from one place. The dragons reached Shadow Island, and there on the beach, facing off against each other and clearly injured, wings trailing, were two dragons. It was only when they got closer that the riders could see what kind of dragons these were, and it was unbelievable.

"Is that a Triple Stryke?" Snotlout exclaimed.

"And a Night Fury! At least I think it is. Snotlout, go back to Berk, get help; we'll stay here and try to calm them" Fishlegs ordered. A thrilling little shiver went up Snotlout's spine at the other man taking charge. Then he remembered himself, and rushed off with Hookfang.

Meatlug descended to the beach, keeping a careful distance from the distressed newcomers. They both turned and hissed at her, every dragon in a three way stand off. Fishlegs dismounted, but stayed close to Meatlug's side. "No threat" he said gently, holding his hands up to show there were no weapons in them. The injured dragons roared at him. Meatlug apparently took offence, planting herself firmly in between Fishlegs and the aggressive wild stranger-intruders to their territory. *Leave him alone!* she bellowed, *My human is good!*

*There's no such thing* the female Three-Tail hissed. Across from her, the female Swift-Wing snarled *You have to go! Now! It's-*

Meatlug suddenly sniffed hard – her kind had the next best sense of smell after Spike-Tails – and grunted incredulously, *You're not a Swift-Wing at all!*

Her eyes narrowed. *I'm a _Sand-Wing_ , and you're in danger! It's a _trap_ , we're _bait!_ Look!* she growled, jerking her snout towards the tree line.

Wary, Meatlug heaved herself around to face the trees, growling menacingly at whatever threat lay within. Alarmed, Fishlegs hurried to her side, asking "What is it, girl?" He grabbed a quarterstaff – Snotlout had shown him it was a better weapon for him to wield than a sword – and raised it defensively.

There was a rustling sound, and he heard something hissing through the air. It sounded like an arrow, and he instinctively threw himself to the sand. When he twisted his head to look up, however, he saw something was wrong with his dragon. "Meatlug!" he cried, scrambling back up and over to where his beloved Rock-Tail was standing stock-still. Had a Speed Stinger – Quick-Sting, whatever – gotten her? Had some of the web-footed ones gotten onto this island?

Fishlegs faced the trees again and hefted his staff once more, bracing himself for an attack. And it came, but not in the form of a small vicious dragon raptor. Another hiss, a sting in his shoulder, and Fishlegs' muscles locked up. He couldn't move!

A figure emerged from the trees – a shapely woman in about her mid-thirties, with olive brown skin and raven black hair. She walked boldly right up to Fishlegs, her gait confident, a small but ominous smile gracing her lips. She walked right past the injured dragons as if they weren't even there, although that might have been because more armoured women and men stepped out with blades and bows to defend her.

Something had occurred to Fishlegs whilst he anxiously waited for his girl to get through to the strangers. He'd thought, at first, that the two dragons had broken each other's wings in a fight – but watching them, he realised they had no other injuries. They weren't really acting like dragons who'd been fighting so viciously as to do each other such serious harm, and besides, dragons rarely broke each other's wings on purpose in a fight.

Now, Fishlegs saw the truth. These people had purposefully broken the poor dragons' wings, to keep them grounded. The very idea made his blood boil, and he protested vehemently, albeit unintelligibly. The woman gave him a mock-pitying look, and stepped right up to him, placing her hand on his shoulder like they were old friends.

"Sorry about this, but it's nothing personal" she told him, "It's just business. Oh, and don't worry about your dragon." With that, her hand suddenly tightened, fingers digging into and pinching his neck. For a split second, he felt his muscles go limp, and then the world went black.

* * *

Meanwhile, the dragon diplomats in training and the A-Team had reconvened in the airspace above Outcast Island. "First off, headcount!" Brenda announced. "Me and Gustav, check; Braun and Agnes, check; Otto and Sven, check; Ashildr and Phelgma (2) check; Margret, Mulch and Bucket, triple check" she joked, "Good, everyone's accounted for. Second, has anyone seen anything?"

There were disappointed shrugs and shaken heads all round. With one exception. "Oh, we saw lots of things! We saw sea stacks, and some wild dragons, and uh, lots and lots of waves" –

"Bucket, ya dolt, she's talking about the ship we were s'posed to be searching for!" Mulch cried exasperatedly.

"Oh…sorry."

"It's alright, Bucket" Brenda reassured him, then glared at the others until they stopped making 'he's loopy' gestures. The Berkians were used to Bucket's, and indeed any member of the Hooligan Tribe, eccentricities.

"This was stupid" Braun complained. He'd been put on edge by the idea of his island being unknowingly invaded – what the heck had the sentries been doing, napping? – and it was making him tetchy. "I knew we were gonna be too late. I bet that Fire-Scale didn't even see any strangers, she just made it up" he declared, scowling.

"Liekki wouldn't lie to Hiccup" Brenda declared confidently. "I don't know if he and Toothless being the Alphas means anything to us, but it _does_ mean something to the dragons. They respect those two."

Her statement was undeniable; all of them had seen the deference that their dragons showed to Hiccup and Toothless. "Still, we haven't found anything. We'll just have to go back and tell Hiccup the ship he sent us to look for is long gone" Margret insisted, before adding, "And maybe that's for the best."

"Come on, everyone; back to Berk, double time!" Gustav declared, and they arranged themselves into 'arrow formation' with Fanghook in the lead. The dragon riders winged back towards Berk, riding the northwesterly wind towards Berk – a course that would take them right over the unnamed island.

* * *

Astrid invited Dagur, Heather and his twin children to eat with them that evening. Of course, having their dragons in the house would have made things rather crowded, so Toothless, Selena, Sleuther and Windshear remained outside, as well as Cloud Jumper and Skull Crusher. Thus they had an excellent view of Hookfang flying in and Snotlout vaulting out of the saddle before the Fire-Scale had even alighted on the ground.

Snotlout rushed past the dragons and hammered frantically on the door. *Hookfang, what's going on?* demanded Toothless, all of the dragons picking up the scent of urgency and rising to their feet.

Just then, the door opened. "Snotlout?" Hiccup asked, bewildered and concerned, "What's the matter?"

Unwittingly (on Snotlout's part at least), both Fire-Scale and rider replied to the Alphas questions simultaneously. "*There's a Night Fury/Swift-Wing and a Triple Stryke/Three-Tail on Dogshead Island!*"

Hiccup blinked as he sorted through the double helping of speech and thought-speak. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Snotlout grabbed him by the shoulders. "Would I lie about something like that?"

"Right, sorry" Hiccup winced. He moved aside and Snotlout stepped into the doorway, looking in at everyone watching from around the table.

"Did you say 'Triple Stryke'?" Dagur demanded.

"Yes! Fish and Meatlug are with them, but they're hurt, we need to hurry" Snotlout insisted urgently. The Berserker Chief immediately leapt out of his chair, and Hiccup went to fetch something.

"Hold it!" Astrid and Heather started getting up as well. "We're not letting you two fly off alone after what happened last time" said Heather.

"We wanna come!" protested Cammie, echoed in eager nods from Helena and Ebony. Shy little Oswald didn't look nearly so enthusiastic, but it made no difference anyway. They weren't being brought along, and that was final.

"It's too dangerous" her father told her, "And you're not old enough. You three are only six."

"I'm nearly seven!" Helena proclaimed, "I'm a big girl now!" Her insistence was undermined somewhat by her thumping a fist against the table. The adults were amused, a bit, but unmoved.

Hiccup returned from getting whatever it was he'd gone to fetch. Astrid turned to him and instructed, "You stay here and keep an eye on these three."

He shook his head. "I've already asked Toothless to ask Cloud to ask my mom to come watch them" Hiccup explained. "Astrid, I have to come with you."

"You're supposed to be" –

"In hiding, I know" he said, exasperation tinging his voice, "but Snotlout's seen injured dragons, not dragon hunters or – Snotlout, did you or Fish see a ship nearby? With three blue jagged lines on the sail?"

He shook his head, but then admitted, "We didn't really look; we saw these dragons and he told me to come back for help. Why?"

"There's been a sighting of potential hostiles" Astrid explained before her husband could say anything. "If they see Hiccup it will ruin the whole 'he's supposed to be dead' gambit and we'll be right back to square one."

"I'm still coming" Hiccup insisted, "Toothless and I are our best chance of getting through to these dragons, to the other Swift-Wing at the very least. It might be someone we know, they'll trust us more than any of you. Nobody's going to recognise me, Astrid" he told her, cutting off her protests. "I'm gonna wear a disguise." With that, he set about putting it on.

The others stared at him. "Seriously?" Dagur blurted out, incredulous, "That's your disguise? A _boot_?!"

He looked up from where he was fastening a boot over his prosthetic. "And my helmet, to whichI've added clasps that only I know how to undo." Astrid still looked sceptical. Just then, his mother appeared in the doorway, Snotlout having gone off to fetch a couple of slings.

"Hiccup? Toothless said you needed me?"

"Yeah, sorry. Snotlout and Fishlegs found a couple of injured dragons on Dogshead Island, we're going to help them, but the kids…"

Valka smiled and nodded. "I understand. Good luck…and be careful."

"We will, mom."

Astrid wasn't exactly pleased that Hiccup was coming; but she knew she couldn't stop him. Selena insisted on accompanying them as well. *Ebony will be fine* she insisted, *I trust Valka, and you can't expect me to stay behind when something this interesting is happening!*

Hiccup's parents knew where they were going. His mother could babysit Helena and her cousins, his father could make sure the villagers didn't panic at the absence of their chief. Hookfang and Windshear had slings to carry the injured dragons back to Berk for treatment in. They were prepared, but Astrid couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on than they knew.

* * *

When they got back to the beach on Shadow Island, something was obviously wrong. The sand was scuffed, as if someone had walked on it and swept away their footprints. The two injured dragons were collapsed on the sand, having apparently passed out from the pain. Worst of all… "Where's Fishlegs?" questioned Snotlout, dismounting and stomping forwards, cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling, " _Fishlegs! Meatlug!"_

He whirled to face the others, insisting "They were here, I swear! They wouldn't just leave, something's happened." His voice was shaky, expression taut as he struggled to hide just how worried he was about his…his partner. _I can admit it to myself, at least._ "We have to find him! I mean, them!"

"Heather, you, me and Snotlout will look for Fishlegs. Hiccup, Dagur, you guys try to get those two into the harness" ordered Astrid, nodding towards the unconscious dragons, before warning Hiccup, "and _don't_ take your helmet off."

Face concealed behind the visor of his spiked black helmet, Hiccup gave her a long-suffering look, but he nodded. _It's for your own good_ he reminded himself. Beckoning to Dagur, the two of them carefully approached the injured Triple Stryke, and the Night Fury. Dagur breathed a sigh of wonder at the sight of the orange and yellow dragon; but strangely, when Sleuther got closer, he froze, sniffing the air and shifting from foot to foot in agitation.

*You guys recognise her?* Hiccup asked Toothless and Selena, gesturing to the Swift-Wing, which he guessed was female from her slighter form. They eyed the black dragon, and sniffed…their pupils turned to slits. *Her scent…* Toothless growled softly, staring at the unfamiliar female and then at Selena with a strange, worrying intensity. *It's _good_ …*

Hiccup stared at him in shock. He could feel Toothless' emotions shifting, sense his arousal rising, but _now_ of all times?!

"Sleuther! What's the matter with you!"

Hiccup looked over to see Dagur struggling to restrain his dragon, who seemed desperate to get to the other Three-Tail, panting heavily.

*They're musking* Selena revealed – it was the draconic equivalent of being in heat – and then she yelped in shock, struggling to get away from her suddenly 'eager' mate. *Toothless! Stop!* Selena clawed at him as he rubbed up against her forcefully, trying to get on top of her.

Hiccup couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then he heard a roar from Windshear and spun around to see – "Astrid!" He cried out, she was frozen in place, so was Stormfly, Heather and Snotlout. Everything suddenly happened at once. Darts hissed out of the trees; Windshear snatched up Heather in her claws and retreated, as did Hookfang with Snotlout; Dagur and Sleuther were frozen, Toothless and Selena in mid-struggle, and Hiccup himself. A dart struck his bare hand as he raised his sword and he felt the paralysing venom course through his body, immobilising him.

It was all over in a matter of minutes. Unable to move, Hiccup could only watch as dark-skinned strangers – the ones Liekki had warned them about – emerged from the trees. The leader; or so he guessed, from the trio of lightning bolts on her belt, some kind of crest; approached him first, looking him over with an appraising expression. He couldn't even close his eyes if she peered through the slit in his helmet, and Hiccup felt exposed.

She turned from him to give orders to her crew. "Get the Night Furies and the Triple Stryke onto the ship. Splint the wings of the other two and bring them aboard as well – you'll have to make two trips! Think for once."

"What about the Nadder?"

"Leave it; too common."

"And the riders?"

"Forget them; we've got what we came for. By the time the venom wears off, we'll be long gone" she declared. The words were like a spike through Hiccup's heart. _What we came for._ They had used a Swift-Wing – actually, more likely a dragon disguised as a Swift-Wing – of course! The Loki tree ash, it could be used to make black paint. These hunters were after Toothless – they were taking his other half away!

He heard Hookfang dive down on the hunters in flames, shrieking a battle cry – and he clearly heard the thud as the Fire-Scale was struck by more of those damned paralysing darts – actually, probably dragon root arrows, the darts would be burned away – and crashed to the sand. _At least he tried._

Hiccup could already feel the heart bind tugging at him, chest getting tighter, colder. They'd knocked Toothless out, Hiccup couldn't reach him. The captain turned to him and murmured, "I wonder…" She reached out to grip his helmet, and his breath caught in his throat. But when she tried to lift it off…nothing happened. Same when she tried to raise his visor.

She frowned…and then it disappeared. She stepped on his foot. On his _left_ foot, on his prosthetic. Hiccup didn't feel anything, naturally, but his blood ran cold. She smirked at him. She _knew._ The woman leaned in to whisper. "Don't worry. They'll be well cared for, and hey, the world could use more of them, right?"

With that, she moved away, leaving Hiccup rigid and helpless. _She knows about me. She wants Toothless – and Selena, too? What for? The world could use more of them – more Night Furies? They have a Three-Tail, a female…oh, no. No, it can't be, they can't_ use _our dragons like that! They're just doing it for profit, not to help. Oh, gods. What if she knows Adulfr? He probably told her about me…_

All Hiccup could do was think, going around in his own head in a panicked spiral. Toothless was being taken away from him, and there was nothing he could do. _NeedToothlesssaveToothlessneedToothlesssaveToothless_ , his instincts screamed at him in time with the thundering beat of his heart. Where was Windshear? The darts couldn't possibly strike through her metallic scales, why wasn't she doing anything? How could she just have fled?

* _TOOTHLESS!_ *

* * *

Aboard the _Tempest,_ as it was towed swiftly away from shore, a certain male Swift-Wing jerked awake with a scream. _*_ HICCUP!* He lurched to his feet, and the ground rocked beneath his paws. No, no, no, no, no! He could _not_ be trapped on another moon damned boat! Where was Hiccup?!

Cage – metal grate. Toothless charged a plasma blast. His fires burst forth and shone brightly from his dorsal spines, vivid blue. He was _furious_. He let it build up to the breaking point and released – the greenish metal glowed white hot, but it didn't give way. With a roar of incendiary rage, he slammed his shoulder against it and fired another blast. He _had_ to break through, he _had_ to get back to Hiccup, he _had_ to get off this wretched boat!

He fired yet another blast, shoved and clawed at the door of the cage with all his might. The metal would give way any moment now, he was sure of it. Humans appeared – he roared at them, back arched to display his glowing spines, eyes fierce and wild.

They raised long hollow sticks – blowpipes – and fired darts at him. Sleeper darts. Toothless staggered, snarling viciously. He fought the pull of sleep, like a current dragging him into deep cold waters. He had to stay awake. He had…to stay…awake…with the last of his strength, Toothless threw back his head and roared in absolute desperation. * _ **HICCUP!***_

* * *

(1) I know what you're thinking; 'oh great, another plant that makes dragons lose their senses' – I'm sorry, but at least I made it affect reptiles and not just dragons specifically. Also yes I know the plant makes no sense.

(2) For arbitrary reasons I have decided that Phelgma is a relative of Snotlout (not his mother, probably an aunt), mostly because 'Snot' and 'Phelgm'…there's a pattern here somewhere.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Six

Windshear and Hookfang had snatched their riders up and retreated into the sky when they came under attack. Really, Hookfang had only followed the Silver-Scale's lead; how could they fight an enemy that froze them? They watched from above as humans swarmed out of the trees.

*Windshear! We have to do something, they're taking our friends!* Hookfang screeched, panicking. He was holding the back of Snotlout's tunic in his teeth; now he carefully placed his stiff rider onto Windshear's saddle, folded his wings, and dived down to attack the humans despite her protests. As soon as he was within range, they shot at him with many dragon-root arrows and he crashed to the ground, making a huge furrow in the sand, just as she'd expected.

With one frozen rider balanced precariously on her neck and her own clutched in her fore-claws, Windshear snarled in frustration. Her scales would protect her from those freezing darts, she was sure, but she couldn't attack with two vulnerable humans in tow. Besides, these hunters had dragon root arrows as well, and they _could_ pierce her.

From her claws, she heard Heather mumble something. *What?* she asked, even though Heather couldn't hear her and she couldn't properly understand Heather. The two of them were close, though, and after several repetitions, Windshear finally gathered that her rider was trying to say "Find Fishlegs!"

Now she remembered – Fishlegs and Meatlug had been here, and disappeared, so they must have been captured by these hunters first. Snotlout grunted a protest, but Windshear merely tossed him up with a neat flick of her neck and caught him by the back of his tunic carefully in her jaws.

The humans took Toothless, Selena, Sleuther and the two injured dragons, but left Stormfly and Hookfang on the beach. That meant they might have left Meatlug as well. Windshear, Heather and Snotlout watched as the captives were lifted into boats, which were…rowed around to the other side of the island. A larger ship sailed out from a cave, and the dragons were hauled from the little boats up onto it. Wait – the ship was towed by Spark-Noses!

It wasn't that Windshear didn't want to help. If she could she'd leave the humans somewhere safe and attack the ship herself. If it weren't for the dragon root arrows, and net throwers on the deck. As the ship began to sail away, she panicked a bit. She couldn't attack on her own, but she couldn't lose them either, and the ship was moving far too fast. What was she going to do?

"Find Fishlegs!" Heather repeated, or tried to anyway. Snotlout seemed to agree, judging from the urgent grunts he was making. Trusting her rider, Windshear waited until the humans were gone before circling down to the beach where they'd been ambushed. There she carefully deposited Snotlout and Heather in the sand – Snotlout fell over, but that was fine – and began to search the undergrowth for their missing friends.

At last, Windshear found both Fishlegs and Meatlug in a small clearing, the human tied to a tree and the Rock-Tail wrapped in bolas. They were both awake, but muzzled, Fishlegs looked relieved to see her. Her sharp tail cut through the ropes easily, even with metal hidden within. "Thanks, Windshear" Fishlegs said gratefully after he'd yanked the gag out of his mouth.

*We have to hurry!* She snarled _urgent_ and gestured to them _follow-me._ Windshear led them back out to the beach, where their friends dotted the sand like strange living sculptures. "Snotlout!" cried Fishlegs, scrambling off Meatlug's back and rushing over to his secret partner. He turned the man over, and Snotlout gurgled what were probably imprecations at him.

"You know I can't understand a word you're saying" Fishlegs told him, before looking around and noticing what – or rather who – was missing. "Where's Sleuther?" he asked Windshear, "and Toothless?" Because if Hiccup was over there, and Toothless wasn't – that was not good.

In reply, she looked out to sea, and back at him. "They took them on a ship? Well, they can't have gotten too f– what, Snotlout?"

His paralysed boyfriend was trying to tell him something. "Eee-or-ors!"

"Your ear's hurting?" Fishlegs guessed, mystified. Then he mentally slapped himself and reached down to pinch Snotlout's neck, just like that woman had done to him. Sure enough, the man went limp, and Fishlegs promptly slapped him awake. Snotlout jerked up clutching his cheek, glaring at Fish with a look of betrayal. " _Ow!_ "

"You were saying?" Fishlegs asked pointedly.

"Huh? Oh. Seashockers! These people have a ship towed by Seashockers!"

"What?!" Fishlegs exclaimed. Thinking hard and quickly, he turned to Windshear and instructed, "Fly out and find that ship, don't let it out of your sight!" As soon as she'd taken wing, Fishlegs said to Snotlout, "You sort the dragons, I'll sort the riders. Just dig your fingers into their sweet spots, it'll make them collapse and undo the paralysis" he explained. "There's some dragon-root antidote in Meatlug's saddlebag just in case."

"You always come prepared" Snotlout laughed, even as he rushed off. Honestly, he loved it when Fishlegs took charge like that. Once he'd have just laughed at his friends attempts to assert authority – until he'd realised how attractive it was when Fish actually _was_ being dominant.

He went to Hookfang first, naturally, and poured some of the antidote down his throat. Whilst he waited for Hooky to recover, he ran over to Stormfly and dug his fingers into her sweet spot. She keeled over, but he knew she'd be fine.

Meanwhile, Fishlegs was busying himself with unfreezing his friends, Meatlug helping by licking them to wake them up. He'd unfrozen Astrid, Heather, and Dagur, and now Hiccup. Meatlug was nudging Dagur, Astrid having taken up rousing Heather; but it seemed her services weren't required in Hiccup's case.

Moments after collapsing to the sand, Hiccup sat bolt upright, smacking right into Fishlegs' face with a dull _clonk._ As the larger man tried to shake off the daze, Hiccup scrambled to his feet and rushed to the waterline, into the surf, the shallows – when it became apparent that he actually intended to swim after the ship, Snotlout called out "Hookfang, grab him!"

Obligingly, the Fire-Scale scampered after Hiccup, who was determinedly wading out to sea, and carried him back to shore. Struggling futilely, he protested "Hookfang! As your Alpha, I order you to put me back!"

"Hooky! As your rider, _I_ order you to keep him here!"

Hookfang wavered, unsure which of them to listen to. Then he remembered Alpha-Hiccup telling them all to listen to their riders even before him, and there had been a lot of rules about it that he couldn't recall, but this seemed like one of those times when not listening to his Alpha seemed okay.

"Put him down, Hookfang" Astrid commanded firmly. He obeyed, happy to have a nice, simple instruction to follow. Humans could be so confusing.

Hiccup wrestled with his helmet, finally undid the clasps, and yanked it off. It made his hair stand up, and his eyes were dark and wild, giving him the appearance of one rather unhinged. "I need to get to Toothless!"

"You can't _swim_ after him!"

"You're right – but I can fly." Without warning, Hiccup suddenly charged at Stormfly, who leapt backwards and raised the spikes on her tail defensively. He skidded to a halt, and Astrid marched forwards.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Who said you could take my dragon?"

"Astrid, I have to ride Stormfly! Snotlout won't let me on Hookfang" –

"Damn right."

"Meatlug's too slow – no offence" –

"Hey!" / *None taken.*

"And Windshear" – Hiccup looked around as if just realising the Silver-Scale was missing. "Where _is_ Windshear?"

"She went-" Fishlegs began, but Hiccup glared at him.

"Don't tell me she left! She could have stopped those hunters and she did _nothing,_ she'd better have a damn good" –

"She's looking for Toothless!" Fishlegs shouted over him, "Hiccup, their ship is towed by Seashockers! I sent Windshear to _track_ them."

Hiccup looked no less frantic. "Seashockers? Why didn't you say that before?! We need to go, right now, come on!" He made another break for Stormfly, but Astrid grabbed his shoulder to haul him back. Hiccup wrenched out of her hold and snarled at her. She slapped him, hard.

"Don't you dare snarl at me" she hissed at him, "I am your wife, and your chief, and you will show me respect!"

Hiccup recoiled. At first she thought he was cowed by her wrath; but then she realised it wasn't just her, he was genuinely terrified. He was shaking, panting, face pale, eyes wide. He looked like a cornered animal. "….Hey. It'll be alright" Astrid murmured, gentling her voice. He stared at her. How could anything possibly be alright if his other half wasn't with him?

"I'm sorry I slapped you. I just – you were scaring me. I know you're worried about Toothless, but freaking out isn't going to help him. You need to calm down" she implored him. Hiccup gulped in a deep breath, eyes darting from her face to out over the ocean, where Toothless had gone. "Hiccup, I need to ask – did they see your face?"

He stiffened, looked faintly worried, which made her more so. "Did they see you?" Astrid repeated more urgently.

Blinking, Hiccup swallowed and shook his head. "N-no. One of them tried, but she couldn't take off my helmet" he explained. _But she still knows who I am._

"Okay" she nodded, "That's good. Now put that back on", she nodded at his helmet, "and let's go rescue our dragons."

* * *

Toothless' desperate thrashing woke up Selena, as well as the Sand-Wings opposite them. It also gained the attention of the crew, several members of which rushed down to subdue the aggressive creature. Nicole stepped past them all and peered into the cage at the collapsed, unconscious Night Fury.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"We don't know, Captain" Gelvira said apologetically. "It woke up and just freaked out, started trying to beat the door down. Its spines were _glowing_. Like a Flightmare or something; I've never seen anything like it."

Nicole peered at the dragons short blunt spines, noting the azure tinge along their edges, the iridescent sheen of his scales, the strong muscled neck and chest. Truly, the only flaw was the unfortunate missing tail-fin, replaced by a scarlet prosthetic. She had to admire the workmanship; if the fake tail-fin was painted black, it would be almost indistinguishable from the one of skin.

"You are beautiful" she murmured, "both of you." Nicole met the sapphire orbs of the female's eyes. Her pupils were slits, and she growled. "Hush. Don't worry, you're safe here" Nicole said quietly, but her body cried _lying_ and Selena did not trust her. These humans were bad; they had captured Selena and her mate and all these other dragons. She kept growling, _stay-away, don't-want._

Nicole huffed as if offended. "Be like that, then. Keep an eye on them" she ordered, "Especially that one." Jerking her thumb at the male Night Fury, Nicole took her leave. When only two humans remained, Selena ignored them and looked down at her mate. Toothless was whimpering in his sleep, scales and claws rasping on the wood as he squirmed, reaching for someone not there. Selena's heart broke for him.

*Is he alright?* Her head jerked up, startled, and she stared through the bars at the other dragons in the cage opposite theirs. She could see the female with the broken wing, now splinted, and a spikier, browner male. *Hello...* the female purred very quietly, whimpering at the pain in her wing. *My name… is Oasis, and this… is my other half, my mate Sirocco (1)* she explained.

Selena relaxed a bit; at least this new dragon was friendly. *My name's Selena, and this is my mate, Toothless* she introduced them both. The other dragons looked at her strangely when she said his name, but Selena thought nothing of it. She'd never thought of him as anything else. *I'm sorry about your wing.*

*I'm… … your mate alright?* Oasis pressed, softly crooning _curiosity-concern._ *We heard him…screaming. He was… screaming 'hiccup'. Who... or what... is hiccup?* (2)

Toothless moaned in his sleep, and Selena's insides twisted up in sympathy. *Hiccup is _his_ other half* she explained, leaning down to nuzzle her mate. It would be best if Hiccup were here, because nobody could comfort one half of a heart bound pair more than their other half, but she would have to do for now. *And he's scared of boats. So no, he's really not alright.*

Oasis and Sirocco glanced at each other. *Your mate is heart bound* Sirocco noted, *but not to you?*

*He was heart bound just before I met him. We're good friends, though. Hiccup is his brother* Selena explained. She shifted uncomfortably and huffed. Cages were horrid things. *He tried to mount me* Selena remembered then. *I'm not angry, but…he's never done that before.*

*It's not… his fault* Oasis reassured her, *It's… the oil.*

*The oil?*

*Dragon-heart oil* Sirocco grunted, *That's what the humans call it. It makes you want to rut* he explained bluntly.

*They put it... on Scorpia and I… to lure you… and your mate… into a trap* panted Oasis, whining _guilt-regret._ *I'm sorry. I tried to... warn a Rock-Tail…but they froze her… and knocked us out. They've washed it…off me now* she explained, and sure enough, there was a splotch of brown on her snout where the paint was gone. Sirocco nuzzled and crooned to her.

Selena warbled _forgiveness_ and assured her, *It's not your fault. I sort of guessed you weren't really a Swift-Wing. What is your kind called?* she asked, tilting her head curiously. They looked a lot like her kind, but different too.

*We're called Sand-Wings* replied Sirocco, *We're from the desert.*

*So are we!* grunted a deeper voice from the cage to the right of Oasis'. Selena looked over to see two other dragons, these ones like Crystal-Eaters but brown and spiky. *We're from the desert too* one of them declared, *We're Spike-Backs. There's a Three-Tail here as well.*

*They captured a male, Cereus. There's two Three-Tails now* Oasis told him.

*You mean they found Scorpia a suitor? She'll tear him apart* whistled the female Spike-Back. She shoved her head under her mate's chest to squint at Selena and greeted, *Hello, strange new dragon. I'm Barbary (3).*

There was a hungry, desperate glint in her eyes that Selena didn't like. She drew back warily, instinctively standing in front of Toothless, who was vulnerable right now. Then a fluting voice from the cage opposite the Spike-Backs protested, *Barbary, don't scare the poor thing!*

*I didn't say anything!* Barbary growled in protest, as Toothless whined.

The younger human watching them flinched. Her elder scolded her. "What's the matter with you? They growl all the time."

"It's not _that_ one" the other human protested, "It's this one." She gestured at Toothless, who was still squirming and whimpering. "Is it having a nightmare, or something? What if it's sick?"

The older human hissed dismissively. "Just ignore it. The dragon'll quiet down eventually – they always do."

As if he'd heard her, and wanted to prove her wrong, at that moment Toothless' eyes flicked open. Straightaway he tried to heave himself to his feet, and get back to fighting his way free of this accursed boat. Selena threw herself on top of him. Toothless writhed beneath her and it took all her strength to pin him.

*Toothless Midnight Haddock, you calm down right now!* she growled firmly, the way she did when Ebony was misbehaving. Valka always used his and Hiccup's full names when they were doing something wrong. Toothless froze like he'd been pricked by a Quick-Sting's tail, but then he twisted round to stare at her in shock, like he couldn't believe she'd say that.

Selena warbled _comfort_ to him and nuzzled him. *Don't worry, Toothless. Everything will be alright, you'll see.*

*Hiccup...* he whimpered.

*Is coming* Selena insisted, raising her jaw confidently, meeting his eyes in promise. *He always comes. Our friends, our pack-mates, they won't abandon us. Toothless, you know he's coming.*

Toothless panted, but he was listening. _Yes._ Hiccup always came. Hiccup never let him down. Toothless just had to hold on until his other half saved him. *Thanks, Selena* he crooned gratefully, nuzzling her back, but then he remembered… *Selena, before…I…*

*Don't worry* she nudged him, *You weren't thinking straight. You smelled this oil that makes you want to…* Selena blinked and looked over at the Sand-Wings. *Why _do_ these humans have oil that makes us want to mate?*

*That's why we're all here* Sirocco explained, *It's what the humans want us for. They're breeders.*

* * *

The A-Team and the dragon diplomats were flying in formation towards Berk. They were making good time; the wind was at their backs and whisking them towards home. Or home base, at least, for some of them.

"Hey, Mulch?"

"Yes, Bucket?"

"We're s'posed t' be lookin' for a ship, yeah?"

"Yes, Bucket."

"With three blue lines on the sail?"

" _Yes_ , Bucket."

"D'you think they might know where it is?"

Everyone looked where he was pointing – down at the ocean, at a ship. "That might be it!" Brenda exclaimed, but then she frowned, confused. "How the heck is it moving so fast?" The wind was with them, but the ship was clearly going in the opposite direction, and yet it was moving almost as fast as they were!

One by one they peeled off and raced to catch up with the mysterious, too fast ship. When they got closer, it became clear how this ship could move so quickly, even when fighting against the wind. "They're being towed!" Braun shouted, pointing at chains leading from the prow into the water, where dark shapes were pulling the ship along at an astonishing speed. "That's cheating, the jerks."

"And it's the ship we were looking for!" cried Ashildr, pointing at the sail, where a trio of blue lightning bolts could be seen.

"Is that Windshear?" Otto questioned, when a Razorwhip caught up with them. He recognised her, but… "Where's Heather? Hey, guys, I think she's trying to tell us something!"

Windshear jerked her snout at the ship they were chasing after, mimed grabbing something, and let out a high-pitched shriek, which was echoed by their own dragons. "I recognise that!" announced Margret, "That's the…the 'flock-mate in distress' signal. They must have caught some dragons from Berk – or maybe they have Heather!"

"By the time we get Hiccup they'll be gone" Gustav declared, "We need to free whatever it is pulling their ship and slow them down. Braun, Sven, Mulch and Bucket, we're gonna draw their fire and distract them. The rest of you, pair up and break through those chains!" he ordered. Rock-Tail and Spike-Tail fire, when combined, could break through even the strongest chains.

They flew into position, and with excited roars and battle cries, dove to the attack. What else had they trained all these years for, if not this?

* * *

Selena and Toothless stared at Oasis and Sirocco. *Breeders? They…they want us to breed?* Selena asked, bewildered, *Why?*

*So they can sell our eggs and young* replied Barbary. She said it so matter-of-factly, as if it was just the way of things, but it was _wrong_.

Selena whimpered. *But…but Toothless and I already _have_ a kit* she protested. Guilt coiled in her gut like _not-to-eat_ eels when she thought of Ebony. She knew her offspring was safe with Valka, but how could she have just left her?

Last year she'd gone to visit her old nest, and she'd missed Ebony so much whilst she was gone. She'd even gone back to Berk – back home – sooner than she thought she would. (Shadow and Asha would have come back with her, but they were busy taking care of their own kits, Storm and Nyx). How could she have just left her kit again?

Toothless smelled her distress and wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't because he was too distracted. It was hard enough to stay calm when he was _trapped_ and being _taken away_ from his other half. Then, the cold tugging pain in his chest eased a bit, and he sensed Hiccup reaching out to him. He closed his eyes and focused, reaching through their bond until…

* _Toothless….Toothless…*_

 _*Hiccup?!*_

 _*Toothless! Oh, thank the Moon. It's working. Are you okay? Have they hurt you? Or Selena? What about Sleuther?*_

 _*No – but they want us to breed – they want our young – Hiccup, I'm scared*_ Toothless whimpered, _*I need you. You're coming, aren't you? Please hurry.*_

 _*Oh, Toothless_ * _,_ Hiccup felt sad and guilty, * _I'm so sorry. I should have stayed on Berk but I didn't and now you're_ *-

 _*It's not your fault.*_

 _*Just hang in there, bud. We're coming for you guys. No matter what it takes, I'll get you back. I promise.*_

 _*I know, I trust you. I love you.*_

 _*I love you too.*_

He felt Hiccup's presence withdraw, and shivered in its absence, and opened his eyes. Everyone was staring at him, and Toothless tensed, baring his fangs defensively. *What? What is it?*

*It's alright* Selena crooned, *They're just a bit confused.*

Sirocco explained, *We don't know why your other half wasn't captured with you. These humans went to a lot of trouble to catch Swift-Wings. We don't know why they would only capture two if there are three of you.*

Now Toothless understood, and these new dragons were about to be even more confused. Just a little bit smugly, he explained, *It's simple. Hiccup isn't a Swift-Wing at all. He's a human.*

They were trying to be quiet because humans were listening, but the other dragons were so startled that they cried out in shock, which made the humans jump. It would have been funny if the dragons had been paying attention.

*That's impossible!*

*You said this Hiccup was his brother. How can a human be your brother?*

*Humans can't heart bind, they can't even _understand_ us.*

*I bet you're just mad. A mad, bad dragon!*

Sirocco, Oasis, Cereus and Barbary didn't believe it at all. A dragon couldn't possibly have a _human_ as their other half. Humans were dumb pests at most and dangerous predators at worst, but they weren't capable of such trust and love like that of a heart bound pair. Yet the Swift-Wings body said _certain_ and _defiant_ and even _proud._

*If it were impossible, it wouldn't have happened* Toothless declared. *My Hiccup is the best human, it's okay that he's human because he has the soul of a dragon, the soul of a Swift-Wing. He is my brother in every way that matters. Hiccup could heart bind because he is special, and he can think-speak now, and he can make other humans hear us too! Humans _can_ understand us, if they try and we're patient with them.*

Sirocco, Barbary and Cereus stared at him as if he were crazy. Oasis though, she looked curious. *On the beach... before, there was a...Rock-Tail but there… was a human on her back* she remembered, tail twitching with uncertainty.

Selena purred and explained *They're our friends. She is called Meatlug and her human is named Fishlegs. We live on an island that's full of dragon-human pairs, which help each other and care for each other, but only Toothless-Hiccup are heart bound. _And_ they're the Alphas of our flock* she revealed.

More disbelieving hisses ensued. Then the dragon in the cage next to them piped up. *Well, this is unusual* she said, voice reedy, *A dragon with a human other half. My name is Aceso (4), and I'm a Healing-Breath* she explained –

*And I'm Muddie! I'm a Wave-Maker, hello! I wanted to say hello before but everyone was talking too much. Can we meet your human half?* an excitable male voice called eagerly.

Toothless shuddered all over, impatient and agitated. *Yes, and he'll love you. Hiccup loves all dragons, he'd let all dragons join our flock if he could. I just hope he gets here soon!*

No sooner had he barked this frustration, than there was shouting from above them and the humans who were supposed to be watching them (what could they do, in cages?) rushed away. They heard dragon roars and human shouting and the ship jerked, tossing them all about. *Ouch!* Selena groaned when Toothless landed on top of her. *What's happening? Is it them, is it Hiccup?*

Toothless quickly reached through their bond to his other half. * _Hiccup?! Is that you? Please let it be you!*_

 _*I'm coming. I'm coming, Toothless, we're going as fast as we can!*_

 _*Wait – if you're not here yet, then who's attacking the ship?*_

 _*Someone's attacking the ship? You mean dragons?*_

 _*With riders, I think.*_

 _*Who would be…? Oh, I don't believe it!*_ Toothless could tell that Hiccup was distracted by something. * _Sorry bud I've gotta go see you soon!*_ Just like that, he was gone. Toothless wasn't worried though. He could feel it, Hiccup was getting closer, and soon they'd be together and free!

*What's happening?* Cereus growled, frightened, *What's happening?*

Toothless and Selena both gave gummy smiles as they crowed in unison, *We're being rescued!*

* * *

Attacking hunters wasn't as easy as diving and flaming at them. It took strategy, practice and most of all, teamwork. All of which they had.

Still, Gustav was really glad that Heather's Razorwhip was on their side.

To make up for her inability/unwillingness to attack before, Windshear dived into the fray in earnest. Just as she'd hoped, her hard metallic scales protected her from the freezing-poison darts. Streams of white hot fire spilled from her maw, turning net-throwers and arrow-shooters into burning, melted heaps. One sharp whip of her tail had half the sail crashing down.

The others were not idle, of course. Lake&Weed flew back and forth making a gassy smokescreen, set alight by Fanghook and Firestorm. They coiled through the air, flaming gleefully at the hunters and driving them away from the prow of the ship. Amethyst and Kingstail, Flare and Bolder, Magpie and Gurgle combined their fires to break the chains holding the Spark-Noses to the ship.

All with guidance from their riders. They would not have attacked this ship themselves, but with their humans watching their backs and planning their next moves, the dragons felt unstoppable. Windshear had told them that Alpha-Toothless was caught in this trap, so it was their turn to break it open.

By the time the others caught up, they had freed all the Seashockers and destroyed every weapon on the deck. Astrid deposited Hiccup onto Windshear with Heather, who promptly made him apologise for doubting her dragon, and flew down to the deck alone, where the crew had been cornered at the stern.

Ashildr filched the keys – she wasn't a Bog-Burglar for nothing – and went below deck to liberate the dragons. Suddenly the crew was surrounded by snarling deadly predators – even the usually docile Prickleboggle was hissing viciously. That whole adage about _a captain goes down with their ship_ was all well and good, but Nicole decided discretion was the better part of valour, in this case.

"We surrender" she announced, lowering her blades and gesturing for the others to do the same. "I must say, I'm impressed. You dragon riders are certainly a persistent bunch" she smirked – ahem, _smiled politely_ at the clearly irate blonde dismounting from a Nadder and striding towards her.

The woman unslung her axe and thrust the curve of it up around Nicole's neck. "Astrid Hofferson, Chief of Berk" she introduced herself.

Despite the sharp blade mere inches from her throat, Nicole smiled. "The pleasure's all mine, Chief. Nice to see a woman in charge round these parts; I thought you were all running households and churning out babies up here" she remarked faux-innocently. "Nicole Stormheart, Captain of the _Tempest_ , at your service. So. I assume this is about the Night Furies?"

* * *

It took some time to get everything sorted out. Nicole and her crew were kept out of the way at the stern of the ship whilst they freed the dragons. Nicole tracked the Night Furies as they emerged from below deck, the male immediately taking off to hover just below that magnificent Razorwhip. She saw the black-clad rider step off the silver dragon's neck and drop down into the saddle with practiced ease.

The two Moldruffles flew off as soon as they saw open sky. The Mudraker plunged over the side into the water, but just as quickly resurfaced and climbed out, shaking himself all over the deck. The Sand Wraiths crouched and snarled defensively at anyone who tried to approach them, except for the Prickleboggle. The male Triple Stryke flew up to reunite with his own rider, only to fly back to the injured female, who roared at him in anger and pain.

"You missed one" Nicole called, and all eyes were immediately on her. Not that she minded. "My pet Speed Stinger. I call him Gonzales (5). He'll be asleep in his cage in my cabin right now; we let him out at night to roam the ship. Hence the gouges" she explained, nodding at lines scored into the wood of the ship. "He gets antsy, bless him."

Astrid sent several of the riders down to investigate. They re-emerged with a cage holding a Speed Stinger, which oddly enough was still asleep. "We had to sedate him" Gustav explained, "He wouldn't stop screeching."

Now that all the dragons were accounted for, Astrid had the crew searched and imprisoned in the cages below deck. Once that was taken care of, Selena and Toothless-Hiccup landed before the wary strangers, whilst the others kept their distance. As if not noticing their fear-slit pupils and bared fangs, Selena pranced happily and warbled *Everyone, this is Hiccup! We told them all about you.*

*I dread to think* he quipped, unclipping and removing his helmet. *No threat* he said calmly, seeing their eyes widen in shock. *I'm a friend. Hello.*

The dragons stared at him in disbelief – except for Muddie, who lumbered forwards grunting excitedly. *You really _can_ think-speak!* he exclaimed, sniffing at them both, *and you sure smell like each other, I think you really are heart bound. That's amazing!*

Hiccup chuckled, but a whimper of pain from the female Sand-Wing sobered him. *We can bring you both back to our nest to be looked after, until you can fly again* he told Oasis and Scorpia. *I know you probably don't trust humans, but you don't have to be around them any more than necessary.*

*Why should we trust you?* demanded Scorpia, snarling defensively. * _You_ are human! Humans captured us, they broke our wings, they cut off Oasis' beautiful spikes, they take our eggs away! And the human on that Three-Tail's back won't stop staring at me!* she complained, hissing in Dagur and Sleuther's direction.

Hiccup resisted the urge to roll his eyes. *I'm sorry about him* he apologised, before calling over his shoulder, "Dagur! Quit staring, you know it makes them uncomfortable…yes, I _know_ you're excited that Sleuther might get a girlfriend, but seriously, cut it out." Grumbling, Dagur did as he was told.

Now that he was closer, Hiccup could see how Oasis' spikes had been sawn away, and then rounded off to vaguely resemble narrower versions of a Swift-Wings' ear-flaps. His fists clenched; he sucked in a breath and expelled the tense anger with it. Dismounting, he explained, *The humans who did this to you are terrible people, but not all of us are like that. Please, let us help you.*

Then he lowered his gaze, and slowly reached out a hand… _._ Seconds passed – everyone watched with bated breath – before at last, warm dry scales were pressed against his palm, and he sighed in relief.

*Oasis!* protested Sirocco, seeing his other half so close to a human. Hiccup hadn't threatened them at all, but still….she pulled away and nuzzled him, but then raised her jaw challengingly and insisted, *We should go with them. We're so far from home,* she whimpered, *and we have nowhere else to go.*

Sirocco didn't like the idea, but he couldn't think of a better one, so he reluctantly agreed. Leaving Toothless and Selena to reassure them, Hiccup walked back to the others. "I can't thank you guys enough for stopping this ship. Why don't you come and meet the dragons you rescued?" he suggested to the diplomats, leading them over and introducing them all.

"Okay, so this is Oasis and her mate Sirocco, Muddie, Aceso, Scorpia, and the two that flew off were Cereus and Barbary, just in case they turn up later."

*How does he know our names?* asked Muddie, *Can he read minds?*

*Of course not, silly; we told him all your names* Selena explained.

Brenda stepped forwards bravely and crouched down to Oasis' eye level, taking a bit of dragon-nip from her pocket. "Hello, Oasis. I'm Brenda. D'you like dragon nip?" she asked, slowly holding the green tuft out. The dragon sniffed at it, curious, and her pupils widened. "Smells good, right? Well, to dragons, anyway. My dragon loves this stuff. She's a Spike-Tail, her name is Flare."

Hiccup watched, bursting with pride, as his apprentices began to coax Oasis, and even the much more reluctant Scorpia, into the slings. It took a while with the Three-Tail, and she snapped at them a few times, but they persevered until both dragons were secured in the slings that would carry them back to Berk. "You guys are doing brilliantly" he praised, "I knew I could count on you."

"They painted her with that Loki Tree ash, didn't they?" Braun figured out, gesturing to Oasis. "It was all part of a trap."

"Exactly."

"For you and Toothless?" guessed Margret.

"For Toothless and Selena, actually; and Sleuther, of course. They want mated pairs; apparently these guys breed dragons and sell their eggs" he explained.

Braun grimaced. "That's disgusting. The egg-selling thing, I mean. Who does that? I don't like these guys. They look weird, their skin's all brown, like dirt."

Hiccup frowned, and asked, "What colour is Firestorm's skin?"

"Uh, orange? But he's got scales, not skin."

"His scales _are_ his skin. Look, these people might look different to us, but we made peace with dragons partly by seeing past how they are on the outside. You should judge others by what they _do,_ Braun, not by what they look like" Hiccup explained, leaving the young man frowning thoughtfully.

Otto wondered, "What's this blue stuff on their wings?"

"I was wondering that myself" Hiccup admitted, looking to the newcomers for some explanation. Aceso stepped forwards and offered one. *That was me; my kind aren't called Healing-Breaths for nothing. I was trying to make it hurt less, but I don't think it's helped* she moaned sadly.

Oasis huffed and protested, *It has helped, Aceso. The pain is so much less now.* Before she'd been in awful pain, even in her sleep, but now she felt better.

Aceso sniffed the air and said, *I smell blood. Human blood.*

Hiccup looked up and asked, "Is one of you injured?"

"I am" said Ashildr, "I got nicked by a sword. It's not deep, though." She showed him the cut. Aceso stepped closer; at Hiccup's behest, Ashildr turned her injured arm to the dragon, who sniffed at it and then breathed a bluish mist over the wound. Ashildr gasped. "Oh! That's cold." The mist turned to foam and then ice, covering the cut with a light blue crust. Ashildr tapped it curiously. "Hey, it doesn't hurt. It's kinda…numbed it. Thanks!" she beamed at Aceso.

The lime green dragon trilled, but also drew back a little bit. "She says you're welcome" Hiccup translated, before adding to Aceso, "It's alright. We humans show our teeth more when we're happy, not when we're angry. We're weird like that." Aceso relaxed, understanding now.

At last they were ready to set off for Berk. When they got there, Hiccup directed Hookfang and Windshear to set the slings down in the training ring. "Right, so, welcome to Berk" he told the rescued dragons. "Oasis, we can wash off that paint for you, it'll be easier than trying to lick it off. You can nest here until you've healed, so can Scorpia, and we'll make sure you get food and water. There's a bridge so you can cross over to the larger island if you want to."

Astrid protested, "We can't just let unfamiliar wild dragons wander unsupervised around Berk, Hiccup."

"What are we supposed to do, Astrid, keep them here? They've been caged, and two of them are grounded. They deserve all the freedom they can get."

Before they could argue about it, Brenda stepped forwards and volunteered, "We can keep an eye on them, Chief, me and the other diplomats. We'll make sure they're well fed and there're no misunderstandings. You can count on us."

They'd already proven they could handle the wild dragons, so Astrid and Hiccup both approved of Brenda's suggestion. Even if their guests didn't remain on Berk, it would help to have someone around to ensure they wouldn't be spooked by rambunctious Vikings and end up with someone getting hurt.

* * *

(1) Sirocco – another word for sandstorm.

(2) Fun fact, reptiles (so presumably dragons) can't hiccup. Idk, it just amuses me to think humans find Hiccup's name odd, but the dragons don't cause they have no concept of 'hiccuping' or of it being the name for a runt.

(3) Cereus and Barbary – both types of cactus.

(4) Aceso (I think it's pronounced ah-ke-so) – Greek goddess of curing sickness and healing wounds.

(5) Kudos if you get this reference ;) Hint – think Looney Tunes.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Seven

The following day, Nicole was brought in chains before the council of Berk…with one absentee, and two guests. Astrid rose from her throne and stepped forwards. "Nicole Stormheart. You stand before this council accused of trespassing in our territory and that of our allies, the attempted kidnapping of three dragons, and causing injury to two more. How do you plead?"

Much to Astrid's annoyance, the woman looked bored. "Is this the part where I say, 'not guilty'?" she inquired, as if it were all a game. She met Astrid's gaze fearlessly and remarked, "With all due respect, Chief, I think we can agree that no real harm has been caused. We didn't attack you or your allies, and the dragons wings will heal. There's no permanent damage done at all."

Astrid pursed her lips. "Maybe not, and the lack of harm does merit leniency; but you still committed crimes and will be punished accordingly. The council wishes to interrogate you in order to get a better idea of how to deal with this" she explained.

"Ah. Well, ask away."

Tuffnut stepped forwards and inquired, "How did you get such a good tan?"

"I meant questions regarding her plan and motives" Astrid specified, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"Oh, it's alright" Nicole shrugged, before answering, "Life in the Med gives anyone skin like this. I don't know how you people stand it up here in the cold."

Fishlegs went next. "Why – what did you want our dragons for?"

"We meant them no harm; having to break the Sand Wraith and Triple Stryke's wings was an unfortunate but necessary sacrifice. You see, we breed dragons, the rarer the better. We find mated pairs, encourage them to…do the deed, as it were, and when the eggs are laid we place them somewhere safe. Dragons have been hunted almost to extinction all over the place; any little bit we can do to help them is worth it, don't you think?"

Fishlegs' eyes narrowed at her. "You're lying. You said right to my face, 'it's just business'. This isn't about saving dragons for you - it's about making a profit."

Nicole didn't deny it, but she wasn't apologetic either. "We still have to eat."

"There are better ways" Heather insisted. "He's right, you're exploiting them. I bet your tune would change if it were you being forced to mate against your will, and having your children be sold."

A scoff. "Oh, please, it's not like we're trafficking people. Animals are bred all the time – hogs, sheep, cattle. Why should dragons be any different?"

"Because dragons _are_ people" Dagur burst out. "I really don't like you, even if you did bring a Triple Stryke here so my Sleuther could have a girlfriend."

"How do you even get them to, y'know, do it? Dragons only mate every so often" Snotlout questioned.

She smirked. "We call it dragon-heart oil. It makes them _very_ enthusiastic, if you see what I mean."

"Does it work on humans?"

"One question each, Snotlout" Astrid reminded him with a glare. She had an important question of her own. "How did you know there were Night Furies and a Triple Stryke here in the north?" she demanded.

"It's a bit of a long story. I had an…acquaintance, let's say, called Harald Forkbeard. Fellow pirate, dragon hunter. He died up here – murdered, actually, by one of you Vikings" Nicole replied, deliberately letting an accusing tone deep into her voice. Just to see what would happen.

Astrid said calmly, "Harald wasn't murdered. He was taken prisoner, and killed himself out of spite. His crew escaped, though – I'm guessing they're the ones who told you about our Night Furies and Dagur's Triple Stryke."

"Got it in one. I notice you haven't asked a question yet" Nicole said to Ruffnut.

"Oh, I have a question, sister! Boy, do I have a question. And my question is...how in the name of Loki did you manage to train a Speed Stinger?!"

Nicole laughed. "Almost any creature can be trained if you feed it and show it who's boss. I found Gonzales injured and nursed him back to health. His venom proved useful, so I kept him around. Now, uh, Chief? I wonder if you'll indulge me by answering a question of my own" she said to Astrid.

"I'll let you _ask_ a question, but I won't promise to answer it."

"Well, it's more of a request, really. The male Night Fury, I heard he had a rider, known as the Dragon Whisperer, who got himself killed by bounty hunters. I think he was your husband, right? My condolences. But I'm curious about this new rider the dragon has, and who exactly he is…I'm willing to let bygones be bygones, and leave your archipelago in peace, _if_ I can see the man face to face."

Watching Astrid closely, Nicole could see the effort she put into keeping her expression neutral. "I'm afraid your request is denied" the chief replied, before looking past Nicole at the guards. "Take her away."

* * *

Once Nicole had been escorted from the Great Hall, Astrid counted to ten in her head before calling, "You can come down now."

Toothless and Hiccup leapt down from the rafters. "Good save at the end, there" he complimented.

"Yeah, well, I doubt it's gonna last long" Astrid sighed, "I could see the look in her eyes, she'll try to find out who you are." She noticed Hiccup give a tiny wince – as a warrior she had trained herself to be aware of the slightest tell – and immediately asked, "What?"

He blinked at her. "I – I didn't say anything."

"No, but there's something up. I saw it" she insisted.

Hiccup's jaw worked silently for a moment. He looked at Toothless and complained, "I have no idea how she does that. Mom does the same thing, it"-

" _Hiccup._ "

He winced, more obviously this time, and dragged a hand over his face, looking up at the ceiling as if praying. "She already knows about me" he admitted.

Astrid buried her head in her hands. "Oh, for Thor's sake…"

"It's not my fault, Astrid."

She glared at him then. "You said she didn't see your face! Why did you lie?"

"I didn't! She never saw my face, she…stepped on my foot." When she just stared at him, he elaborated, "My _left_ foot. She did it on purpose, Astrid; Harald's crew probably told her about me, maybe they suspected I wasn't really dead and asked her to check it out if she caught me with Toothless."

"So much for your dumb, 'I'll just wear a boot over my peg leg' idea" Snotlout mocked him. Fishlegs frowned at him; incredibly, Snotlout noticed and shut up.

Hiccup ignored him, as did Astrid. "Harald's crew are likely the ones who broke Adulfr out of prison. If Nicole knows them, and they find out you're still alive" –

"Adulfr is going to find out anyway, Astrid. He's probably the person who asked Nicole to investigate if I was still alive. He's not an idiot" Hiccup pointed out. "But it's not the end of the world. Nicole is pretending she doesn't know about me, so we'll pretend the same. Adulfr might know, but he doesn't have to know that _we_ know that he knows…y'know?"

"What, so we just pretend like nothing's happened?"

"Basically, yeah."

The others were still present, of course. "I'm confused" announced Ruffnut. "Is Hiccup still supposed to be dead or not?"

Tuffnut explained, "The bad guys know he's not, but they don't want us to know that they know, and we don't want them to know that we know that they know. Y'know?"

"No! Now I'm even _more_ confused!"

That was nothing new, really. "Can we please stop talking about Adulfr?" Snotlout complained. "We're supposed to be talking about what to do with Nicole and her crew, the blackguards."

Fishlegs frowned at him. "That's not very nice, Snotlout. Just because their skin is coloured differently to ours…"

"Oh for – not like that, Fish! It's just another word for scoundrel, or something – you of all people should know that."

"I say we make them walk the plank!" Tuffnut crowed. "She did say they were pirates, right?" he muttered in an aside to his sister, who shrugged.

"Or", Hiccup said firmly, "We could show them what dragons are really like, and convince them we can be allies, not enemies."

"Do you really think that's going to work?" Astrid questioned.

"What other choice do we have, Astrid? We can't keep them, they're just more mouths to feed, and we can't kill them, that'll just make things worse."

"So you just want to let them swan off?" demanded Snotlout.

"No, I just said, I want to change their minds. Look, did I miss a T-mail or something? When did our only options become locking people up or executing them?" Hiccup wondered. Astrid opened her mouth, and he quickly continued, "I won't get involved. I'll just…help from the sidelines. Brenda and the others, they're capable, and this will be good experience for them."

Astrid sighed. "I'm glad you have faith in them, and I don't want to do anything extreme, but…Hiccup, how can we trust that Nicole won't tell Adulfr that you're alive? Him or anyone else, for that matter?"

He groaned in exasperation. "He's going to find out anyway! He probably already knows, or at least suspects it. Adulfr is bound to come back eventually, and when he does I am not going to hide, I'm going to face him."

"And change his mind, like you want to do with Nicole?"

"If I can, yes!" Hiccup snapped.

A sudden, foreboding silence fell over everything. It seemed to stretch on forever and for no time at all. "What?" Snotlout asked in a low, tense voice.

 _Damnit._ Hiccup turned to see the others staring at him, Fishlegs and the twins in shock, but Snotlout looked furious. His fists were clenched, his breathing just barely under control. "Hiccup" he said tightly, "Can I talk to you? Outside, _alone?"_ Snotlout added pointedly.

Hiccup glanced at Astrid, who nodded slowly. "The council is adjourned."

"No, Toothless" he said when his ever loyal dragon made to follow him, "Not this time. I'll be fine."

* * *

Snotlout led him out of the Hall and around to the side of the stone pillar it was carved into. As soon as they were out of sight and earshot, Snotlout turned, folded his arms and glared at the other man. "For the love of Thor, Hiccup, tell me you're not actually planning to _spare Adulfr."_

Hiccup frowned at Snotlout. "What if I am?" he asked before he could stop himself. _Damn. Me and my big mouth._

Snotlout's jaw dropped. "What if-? You'd be a fucking traitor, that's 'what if'! You'd be as bad as him! After everything that bastard did – my father is dead, your own mother nearly – but she didn't, that's the whole problem – I cannot believe you'd even _think_ about giving that…that _vargdropi_ (1) a second chance!"

"Snotlout, just let me explain" –

"No, you let _me_ explain. You need to wake up, Hiccup! Wake up and smell the yak dung. Life isn't some…some happy ending fairytale where everyone says sorry and we all get along" –

"You think I don't know that?"

"Could've fooled me" Snotlout retorted. "When it was Drago you didn't hesitate, but now you've gone soft, no, softer, and people have suffered for it. You spare Adulfr, you are spitting in the face of everyone who lost someone to that villain and his insanity. Except you wouldn't have a clue what that feels like, O Great Dragon Whisperer, because you never fucking lose, do you?"

"I – what?" Hiccup was taken aback by the venom in Snotlout's voice and the resentment in his eyes. He suddenly realised this same anger had been simmering under the surface ever since Adulfr…since Spitelout... "What are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know!" Snotlout almost screamed at him, getting right up in his face. "You never lose, Hiccup, you never lose anything or anyone and I – I _hate_ you for it!"

For a moment Hiccup was shocked. Then he was angry. He shoved Snotlout back with all his strength, and the two men squared off against each other.

"STOP!"

Fishlegs cry startled them both, as did the man himself appearing between them and placing one hand on each other's chest. "Both of you, stop it!"

"Stay out of this, Fishface" –

"No, I will not stay out of it!" Fishlegs shot right back, glaring at Snotlout fiercely. "What do I keep telling you about managing your anger? Maybe I should stop trying to help you, Snotlout. Maybe I'm wasting my time."

Snotlout's eyes widened. He looked scared. "No! No, no, no, you don't - you're not – I just forgot myself. It won't happen again, I promise. Please don't le- uh…"

Fishlegs' gaze softened. "I'm not leaving" he said, giving Snotlout a meaningful look, "until we've straightened all this out. Now, both of you, take a deep breath." He took one himself, to demonstrate. His firm voice brook no disagreement, so they followed his lead. "And again." When they'd done it three times, Fishlegs smiled serenely and asked, "There, now don't you feel better?"

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah."

"Good! Having a clear head helps during these sort of talks. I should have done this a long time ago." Fishlegs steepled his fingers, and pointed them at his secret partner. "Snotlout, you go first. Calmly and clearly tell Hiccup why you're angry with him."

"I just did" –

"You know what I mean, Snotlout" Fishlegs said sternly.

Snotlout gulped, and his gaze slid reluctantly from Fishlegs to Hiccup. "Okay. So, I'm angry cos…my problem is…ugh, you know I hate talking about my feelings, Fish, can't we just-?"

"Do this or I'll have Meatlug hide – no, I'll have Grump _eat_ your favourite axe."

"…You are cruel." _I've taught him well._ Snotlout took another deep breath to fortify himself and turned to Hiccup again. "No matter what happens, no matter what we go through…you never lose, and when you do it never lasts. You get disowned, and then your dad welcomes you back with open arms. Your mom dies when you're a baby, and then she's not dead and she comes back like nothing happened. You never lost anyone to Adulfr, or Drago, or any of the other creeps we've fought. You don't know what a broken heart feels like."

At first Hiccup felt awful, even guilty…but then he felt angry. "I never lose? Snotlout, I was a loser for the first fifteen years of my life. That's in the past, I've moved on; why can't you? Have you seriously been resenting me behind my back all this time? Do you think I _deserve_ to be disowned or lose the people I love? Cos you're going to get your wish as far as the second part is concerned."

"What are you…?" Then Snotlout paused, realising. "Oh. Oh, no. No, that's not – gods, this is why I didn't say anything! I'd have come off as a selfish git. I don't think you deserve any of that. I'm not _that_ heartless. When my dad died – I know it's not your fault, but he was gone and there was so much I never said. You get second chances and I never will and it…it wasn't _fair_." Snotlout met Hiccup's eyes with effort. "I don't really hate you. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." Hiccup sighed. "I'm not planning to spare Adulfr to insult you, or your father, or anyone. I'm not even going to forgive him. I'm trying to make sure this never happens again. I swear, Snotlout, that man is going to pay for what he's done. Just imagine if he has to face the people he's hurt, instead of dying and leaving us to clean up the mess."

"Well, when you put it like that...look, Hiccup, I'm, uh, I'm sorry. And, uh, since we're confessing things…" Snotlout grimaced uncertainly, glancing at Fishlegs, who looked on with wide eyes. "There's uh, something Fish and I haven't told you…" He looked like was choking on his words. "We uh, um, we've sorta…uh…"

"Been training!" Fishlegs blurted out. Snotlout slumped in relief and shot him a grateful look. Hiccup was just bewildered.

"Training?"

"Yeah. Um, I asked Snotlout to help train me, so I can protect Aegir better. And um, I've been helping him with…stuff. Trying to, anyway." (2)

"Oh. That's…that's great. I uh, I just don't get why you'd hide it from us. We're your friends" Hiccup said, confused. Unless the others knew and he didn't…

"Well, we would've told you, but uh…we wanted it to be just between us, see? I mean, the twins would only get in the way, and uh, no offence to Astrid, but we thought she might try to get involved and her idea of training is kinda…intense."

 _And Snotlout's isn't?_ Aloud, Hiccup remarked "Yeah, I guess I can't blame you for that. And…and me?" he asked tentatively.

"Uhh…" Fishlegs twisted his fingers together nervously. "I wanted to tell you, but...I have a lot of respect for you, and I…you think fighting and being tough isn't _me,_ it's more…Thor Bonecrusher…I just didn't wanna disappoint you."

Fishlegs felt awful when he saw the hurt look on Hiccup's face. "You didn't tell me…because you thought I'd judge you?" Hiccup asked quietly, appalled.

"It's not like that" Snotlout cut in, "Fish is just being over-dramatic. We weren't telling anyone, if we told any of you it wouldn't be fair. It was an all or nothing kind of deal, y'know?" he asked.

"Yeah…but just for the record, I'm not judging. You can do and be whatever you want, Fishlegs" Hiccup told him earnestly. "I mean, I spent about ten years trying to get everyone to see me as more than the village runt. I'd be a pretty big hypocrite if I judged you for doing the same kinda thing."

Fishlegs looked touched; so did Snotlout, oddly enough. "Thanks, Hiccup. I – I really needed to hear that."

"You're welcome" Hiccup smiled. "We should probably go back and finish the meeting. You guys go on ahead, I need to talk to Toothless." They nodded and followed him back to the front doors of the Hall, where Toothless was waiting outside. Fishlegs and Snotlout made to go back inside, but Snotlout paused.

"Hiccup?" He looked up. The other man hastily went on, "I uh – Astrid told me, it was you who recommended she make me Acting Chief if you're both…unavailable. I just uh, I just wanted to say…thanks."

"You're welcome, Snotlout" Hiccup replied earnestly.

* * *

Once they were alone, Hiccup turned to Toothless and reached out a hand. Toothless pressed his snout into Hiccup's palm. *You okay?* he asked.

*Of course. Why wouldn't I be?*

*I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty, you know* Hiccup insisted. Toothless stiffened, ear-flaps pinned back against his skull. *I mean it, bud. I accepted what the heart bind meant a long time ago. I have no regrets and I don't blame you at all. You know that.*

Toothless glanced up at him, pupils wide and sad. *You're going to lose them all* he moaned. The _because of me_ went unsaid, but Hiccup heard it anyway.

*Not yet. If it weren't for the heart bind – if it weren't for _you_ _ **–**_ I wouldn't have my dad, or mom, or Astrid, or Helena. No more of this guilt, Toothless. It's time to let go* he implored his friend, caressing his head. *Please.*

Toothless nudged him. *I'll let go of my guilt when you let go of yours. What Jerk Junior has done is not your burden to bear.*

Hiccup snickered a bit at Adulfr's unflattering nickname; one of the tamer ones. *I'll try* he promised, leaning over to hug Toothless' whole head.

"Aww!"

They both looked up to see several villagers and dragons watching their moment, all of whom immediately looked away and pretended they hadn't seen anything. Toothless-Hiccup didn't care, anyway.

* * *

The council meeting ended, and they were about to leave the Great Hall when Hiccup called, "Hey, Snotlout? Can, uh, can we talk?"

"Oh…sure" he agreed. They sat down at a nearby table and waited until everyone else had gone. "What's wrong?" Snotlout asked finally.

Hiccup hastily replied "Nothing. I mean, maybe…I just wondered if there was anything else bothering you. About me." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, not quite meeting Snotlout's eyes.

Snotlout blinked. "Uh…no? I mean, of course not. It's fine. I told you, I don't really hate you, why don't we just let bygones be bygones" he insisted.

"…Wow. And I thought I was a bad liar" Hiccup smirked a little. Snotlout glared at him, and he held his palms up in surrender. "I don't want to argue with you. I just want to understand. I know we haven't been on the best of terms lately, but you're still my friend. At least…I still want us to be friends" he admitted.

Snotlout dragged a hand over his face. "…You want the truth? I'm jealous. Or envious or whatever it is" he waved a hand dismissively. "There. I said it."

"What…what are you jealous of?" Hiccup asked tentatively.

The other man scoffed. "You have everything. A loving family. A dragon soulmate - you're still my favourite, Fangster, don't worry" he reassured his own partner. "Everyone respects you. The dragons respect you. Heck, you walk through the village and all the dragons bow to you like you're the freaking king of the world. I'm not saying I want that, it's just…your life is perfect."

For a few long moments, neither of them spoke. "My life isn't perfect" Hiccup said quietly at last. "It's _good_ , and I am so grateful…I almost can't believe it, because I have no idea what I did to deserve all this. I look at Toothless and Astrid and Helena and I think, they're _mine,_ and it's…incredible. I never really thought about how my life must seem like from the outside looking in, so to speak" he confessed, "but I…I wouldn't say it was perfect. I mean, if it was, I wouldn't have a certain wolf-loving psycho out for my blood."

Shaking his head, Snotlout remarked, "I still can't believe you want to spare Adulfr. Well, I can, cos it's you we're talking about, but…don't you just want to throttle the guy?" He demonstrated on thin air. "Toothless, don't you want to rip him limb from limb?"

Toothless nodded slowly and deliberately. Hiccup replied, "I hate Adulfr just as much as you do; though not, I imagine, as much as he hates me. But what good will that do? His hatred of me led him to raise an army against us. And I killed Drago, but that didn't solve our problems. If anything, it's just made things worse. Anger begets anger. Hate begets hate. I'm sick of it, Snotlout.

"I'm sick of having to hide away and 'play dead'. I'm sick of doubting myself all the time. I want to do the right thing, but I don't know what the right thing is anymore. I'm sick of doing what I think is the right thing only for it to blow up in my face" Hiccup revealed. He shook his head, grimacing. "I shouldn't have agreed to the whole 'dragon justice' thing. You know why I did? Because I was mad they took Toothless. But letting the dragons attack them is a terrible idea."

"So stop it. Go to Astrid, tell her you've changed your mind."

Hiccup shook his head again. "There's no better alternative. All I can do is persuade the wild dragons not to go overboard, and have the diplomats and their dragons keep an eye on things. Oh, and talk to Gonzales. I need to get his side of the story too." Hiccup sighed heavily, shoulders slumped. "The truth is…sometimes I wish I wasn't the Dragon Whisperer. That I could just be…me."

All this time, Snotlout had thought Hiccup was taking his great life for granted…now, he realised Hiccup's life wasn't really that great after all. He thought about what it would be like to have everyone look to him for answers, only to denounce him when he had none, or when things went south despite or even because of his best efforts to keep the peace. Snotlout didn't think he could deal with that kind of pressure.

"On second thoughts, I'm not jealous" he spoke aloud at last, "I'm…sorry."

"For me?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't asking for pity, or anything."

"No, not like that" Snotlout rolled his eyes. "I'm not sorry for you, I'm just…sorry. For cutting you out. For not saying something before now. We should have had this conversation years ago, but instead I bottled up how I really felt like the selfish git I am."

"You're not selfish, Snotlout. A git, maybe, sometimes, but not selfish. Not anymore. Besides, the blame doesn't just lie with you. I could've…I should have said something, done more to reach out to you. You're not the only one who couldn't shelve his pride long enough to talk. Still…" he sucked in a breath, ran a hand through his hair, and offered his not-so-estranged friend a small smile. "I'm glad we did. Thank you, Snotlout" he remarked, offering a hand.

He was holding out his right hand. Inwardly, Snotlout winced at the thought of how he used to bully Hiccup incessantly for being left-handed, calling him a freak whose hands were on the wrong way round. Now his friend was deferring to his dominant hand and Snotlout didn't feel he deserved that. So instead, he held out his left hand, and gave Hiccup a meaningful stare.

Hiccup blinked, surprised, but then smiled. He clasped Snotlout's hand in both of his own and shook it gently. "You're welcome, Hiccup" the other man replied.

They stood up, and looked over to where their dragons were giving each other reconciliatory nuzzles. Beckoning to their partners, both men left the Great Hall, with hearts lighter than they had been for a long, long time.

* * *

That same morning, the rescued dragons were in the training ring. Aceso had laid eggs during the voyage north, and was now curled up with dozens of tiny hatchlings. Hiccup's apprentices and their dragons were there as well; the riders groomed their dragons, not engaging the wild dragons directly but doing something non-threatening to help them feel at ease.

*How can you stand it?* Sirocco growled, standing between Oasis and these strangers. *How can you stand to have humans telling you what to do, where to go? How are _these_ humans any different to the ones that captured us?*

Muddie asked curiously, *What do they do to make you obey them? Do they have oil too?*

Shimmer replied, *They don't _make_ us do anything. We're partners. They're our friends. The humans here are part of our pack, and packs stick together.*

*Would you rather we were enemies?* Gurgle asked incredulously.

Scorpia flicked her tails dismissively. *Humans are vermin. They're insects compared to us, the powerful deadly masters of the skies* she boasted, tossing her head arrogantly. The Berk dragons hissed and snarled at her, indignant on their humans behalf's. *These hairless rats use you as beasts of burden. If you had any pride, you'd kill them all like they deserve* Scorpia growled.

Outraged, Shimmer, Firestorm and the others roared at her. They got between the strangers and their humans, each posturing _mine_ and _stay away._ "Woah! What's got into them?" exclaimed Otto.

"Are those wild dragons gonna attack?" asked Braun, hand reaching for his hammer. He couldn't expect Firestorm to do all the work, after all.

Ashildr snatched it off his belt. "Oi! Give that back!"

"You'll just make things worse. Let the dragons handle it."

"Gimme my hammer or I'll whack you with it!"

"How're you gonna do that if I've got it?"

Annoyed, Brenda called over "Would you two give it a rest? They're not attacking, that one probably just insulted us or something" she figured, jerking a thumb at Scorpia. "It's okay, Shimmer, don't listen to the mean Three-Tail" she cooed, scratching under her dragons chin. Shimmer's eyes rolled up in bliss; she purred and tilted her head to let Brenda reach, giving Scorpia a smug glance.

The Three-Tail drakaina hissed and recoiled. *You're mad, letting a human that close. It's right next to your throat, it could take a blade and - what's so funny?* she demanded, tails lashing. Shimmer was chirruping and croaking mirthfully at the very idea that her human would hurt her. Brenda stopped scratching to eye her dragon in concern, so Shimmer nudged her until she went back to the grooming. *Brenda is a she, not an it* Shimmer told Scorpia.

*So which is it?* questioned Firestorm, *Are humans vermin or threats we should fear?*

*Both!* Scorpia snarled. Just then, Skulder cautiously stepped into the ring. At the sight of him, all of the wilder dragons recoiled in shock and fear. Sirocco leapt to guard Oasis, and Muddie tried to hide behind Scorpia, but she stepped aside. He whined and slunk to cower behind Firestorm's bulk instead.

Seeing the dragons so defensive, Skulder flinched. "Oh dear. Um, no threat…oh, I'm sorry" he said apologetically. "I just wanted to see the new dragons, but I suppose they don't want to be disturbed. Did I do something wrong? I don't suppose…they couldn't know about what I used to do, could they?" he fretted, wringing his hands.

"You mean how you used to cut up dead – argh!" Otto groaned as Boulder flattened him.

Margret told Skulder, "I think it's because your skin's brown."

"My skin?"

"Yeah. The trappers we rescued 'em from had brown skin too. Maybe they think you're one of those guys."

"Oh, I see. Hmm. How can I prove I'm a friend?" he wondered.

"Don't worry. I'm sure our dragons will vouch for you" Brenda insisted.

Sure enough, their dragons were telling the strangers there was nothing to be alarmed about. *He's not one of them. Skulder is one of the nice humans.*

*What did the human you're sitting on mean, he used to cut up dead what?* Oasis asked Boulder, who blinked as if just realising he was still squashing his rider. He shifted and grunted an apology when Otto heaved himself up and glared at him. "Thanks for nothing, you big lump."

*You don't wanna know* Boulder told Oasis, *Trust me. He doesn't do it anymore, so don't worry about it.*

*Worry about what?* Sirocco demanded, on edge. He suddenly realised he'd taken his eyes off the humans, the threats, and when he looked over… *Muddie! You egg-for-brained fledgling, come back here!* he roared.

*No! Not if you call me mean names!* the young Wave-Maker roared right back. He wasn't a fledgling, he was thirty two! Just because he was the youngest of them all, it didn't mean he was stupid or not brave. This new human didn't look like any of the humans on the ship they'd been stuck on. Muddie didn't think these humans were bad; they had rescued him and Aceso and the others, so why were Scorpia and Sirocco afraid of them so much?

*Muddie, be careful!* Aceso called from the stable she was nesting in. He looked over his shoulder and purred at her reassuringly. Then he went back to sidling up to the new human. Skulder remained very still, murmuring "no threat" now and then. Finally, when the dragon was close enough, he slowly reached out a hand. Muddie sniffed curiously, getting closer and closer until his snout was pressed against the human's paw.

The human smelled musty, of prey-skin, metal and old bones. It – no, he – raised his other paw and started scratching Muddie under the chin with his soft bendy claws. It felt amazing, like rubbing against a tree only better. Before he knew it, Muddie was purring, and licked the human as a thank you. "Heh. Friendly sort, aren't ya, big fella?"

"His name's Muddie" explained Margret.

"Muddie the Mudraker? How fitting."

"Hiccup said he said his kind were called Wave-Makers" said Otto, before noting, "I think he likes you."

"He does seem to, rather, yes" Skulder agreed.

*You guys have to try this, it feels so good!* Muddie rumbled in pleasure.

*Let him scratch your belly, that feels even better* encouraged Gurgle.

Sirocco protested, *He can't make himself vulnerable like that!*

*He already has, and he's unharmed* Aceso said calmly, *I don't believe these humans are as threatening as you and Scorpia think.*

*She's right, Siro* crooned Oasis, nuzzling her mate. *These humans rescued us, and I don't think they mistreat the dragons here at all.*

He couldn't deny it. Scorpia, seeing herself outnumbered, gave an aggrieved snarl and stalked off to the hollow she'd been given to sleep in. The stink of human was everywhere in this nest, and she hated it. Sirocco groomed Oasis, but like Scorpia, he couldn't bring himself to fully relax in this unfamiliar place.

* * *

The riders were bringing Skulder up to speed as he scratched a blissful Muddie's belly. "They were after Toothless, Selena and Sleuther" explained Brenda. "They used two of the dragons they'd captured as bait – that Three-Tail, and this Sand-Wing." She gestured to Oasis.

"They even painted her black and cut her spikes off to make her look like a Night Fury. Swift-Wing. Whatever" said Margret, before adding, "And then they broke their wings!"

"That's monstrous!"

"It gets worse. Those creeps had this oil that makes dragons want to mate, so they could breed 'em" revealed Braun, scowling. "I mean, I'd get it if they were trying to save the species or something, but they just sell dragon eggs and young to get rich. It's disgusting" he spat.

"I don't get why they'd go to so much trouble" Otto remarked, "You'd think it'd be easier to just steal eggs from nests and be done with it."

Ashildr scoffed. "Oh, please, you need to go back to the Academy. Stealing eggs from a dragon nest is nowhere near as easy as filching your knife off you."

"Wha-hey! Gimme that, yer thieving witch!"

"Rude. Ask nicely, or I'll let Magpie play with it. He lovesshiny things."

"Ugh. You Bog-Burglars are the worst. Can I _please_ have my knife back?"

She tossed it to him. "Don't you remember what Hiccup told us? This sort of thing is happening more and more nowadays. Dragons getting harvested, and now bred…the hunters can't keep killing 'em or else they'll all die out, so now they're changing their tune. Wouldn't want their silver and gold to run out."

"That's terrible. These trappers you helped capture sound like dreadful folk…well, I suppose anyone who treats such incredible creatures as dragons as, as chattel would be dreadful. I bet you're glad to be free, right, Muddie?" Skulder inquired of the dragon sprawled out in front of him. "Has anyone decided what to do with them? The trappers, I mean?"

Brenda explained, "I think they'll probably get outlawed, but if I know Hiccup, he'll want to try and get them to see things our way. And he'll want us to help; we're supposed to be training as emissaries of dragons to humans, and humans to dragons. Though I'm pretty sure getting dragons to see us differently is a bit simpler" she commented, gesturing to Muddie.

Braun scowled. "It isn't fair. That bitch and her crew trespassed on my island, kidnapped Hiccup's own dragon, and he'll still expect us to be nice to them? You know what, I'm gonna go find him right now and give him a piece of my mind."

"He'll be at the council meeting" Brenda warned, but her meaning was lost on him. He just saddled Firestorm, thanked her for the heads up, and left the stables. Firestorm landed outside the Great Hall; Braun dismounted, thanked him and ran up the steps. He banged on the door hard, several times. After a few moments it was opened by Snotlout.

"I need to see Hiccup!"

"We're busy – hey!" Snotlout cried, as Braun shoved past him. Dodging the older man's grasp, the young Outcast strode up to the table where the rest of the council were gathered.

"Chief Astrid, sorry to interrupt, but I really need to ask Hiccup something."

"Braun, I'm sure whatever it is can wait til" –

"Do you want to get the trappers on our side?" he demanded.

An awkward silence descended. "I take it you disapprove of the idea" Hiccup said at last.

"So you are? With all due respect, sir, that's a terrible idea. The dragons we've rescued deserve justice! They deserve to see their captors suffer. If the dragons are people, doesn't that give them the same right to vengeance as we have?"

"I hear what you're saying, but you're not seeing the bigger picture" Hiccup told him. "If we can convince these guys that dragons are worth protecting, we'll have gained another ally. Nicole and her crew can spread that message further than we can on our own."

"But Hiccup, I thought you didn't want to force people to like dragons" Heather pointed out.

Hiccup nodded. "That's still true. I just want to show them there's a better way; most people don't even seem to realise befriending dragons is an option. But you raise a good point, Braun; the dragons deserve justice as well. There has to be a compromise we can make" he insisted, frowning thoughtfully.

They all considered the problem…and then Snotlout suggested, "Why don't we let the dragons punish them, and use that to prove they're people too?"

Astrid prompted him to elaborate. "What I mean is – Braun's right, the trappers deserve to be punished and the dragons deserve justice. I know why you want to change their minds, Hiccup, but the most we can do is prove that dragons have minds of their own. What better way to do that than have the ones we rescued – untamed dragons – mete out their own punishments?"

"Vigilante dragons punishing dragon trappers? It's genius!" exclaimed Tuffnut.

"Truly a perfect example of poetic justice!" Ruffnut crowed.

Hiccup frowned thoughtfully. "I see what you're saying, but I'm not sure that's such a good idea. If we let those dragons attack the trappers, they won't see it as justice. They'll see it as the big bad dragon riders setting our vicious pets on them. Unless…let me talk to the dragons first. I'll try and persuade them not to attack indiscriminately; maybe then the trappers will realise they're more intelligent than they appear."

"I say we take all their weapons and leave 'em stranded on that island they ambushed us on" Fishlegs declared, "See how _they_ like it."

Braun asked, "What about the two dragons with broken wings? We're gonna wait for them to heal, right? Cos if anyone deserves to get payback, it's them."

"It's not about revenge, Braun" Hiccup insisted, "and besides, if we leave it too long the trappers will just think we trained the dragons and won't believe they're doing it on their own accord."

Heather pointed out, "But we still need time to repair and restock their ship – I somehow doubt Astrid wants to give them one of yours."

"A broken wing can take a whole fortnight to heal; that's how long it took for Shattermaster to get fighting fit again" Dagur remarked, "it's not gonna take us that long to get their ship sorted…is it?"

Fishlegs interjected with, "No, that should only take a couple of days if we're thorough. I think we should just go through with it. The dragons would still be grounded, but so long as we can get their injuries bound tightly enough, they should be able to run around without hurting themselves too much."

Astrid told Braun, "You shouldn't have interrupted us, but I'll overlook it this once since your suggestion helped us. It's settled, then. In three day's time, the dragons will deliver justice on the trappers on Dogshead Island. If anyone's opposed, say so now."

Nobody did.

* * *

Nicole, Cateline and the rest of the trappers were sailed out to the island. Astrid hovered above on Stormfly as they came ashore, bereft of weapons and with a few rations each. Nicole shaded her eyes and squinted up at the woman on the Nadder. "This is our punishment? You imprison us for a bit and then maroon us? You dragon lovers have a sense of irony, I'll give you that."

"Oh, we do!" Astrid called down to them, "That's why the dragons you captured are on this island too. They're gonna punish you themselves." Seeing Nicole's too confident smirk disappear like that was extremely satisfying.

"We've got no weapons!" Gelvira protested, "How are we supposed to defend ourselves if they attack us?"

"You can try apologising" suggested Astrid.

"They'll kill us!" Clarencia exclaimed.

"Not my problem. Good luck!" With that, she and Stormfly flew off.

Cateline scowled. "Oh, this is just great. Now what, fearless leader?"

"Nobody panic" Nicole replied sternly. "We just have to keep our wits about us. Dragons don't go out of their way to get revenge. We'll find somewhere to make camp and defend ourselves however we can. We'll build spears out of sticks and bits of flint if we have to. Let's move out!"

She marched off along the beach, and her crew tailed after her. They hadn't gotten very far, though, when a bloodcurdling shriek was heard from the depths of the island. A lot of the trappers stopped at the sound, hands instinctively reaching for weapons that weren't there. "Keep moving!" Nicole snapped at them. "We need to..." she trailed off at the sight of a huge wave rapidly approaching the shore, getting higher and higher. "Run!"

They scattered, running for their lives, but the huge wave broke on the shore and crashed down upon them, surging through the trees and sweeping trappers in every direction. Muddie emerged from the water (3), jaw gaping in a dragon's grin. This was fun!

* * *

Gelvira moved warily through the forest, still dripping wet from the Mudraker's attack, cursing under her breath. She wished elaborately unpleasant fates on dragons, their riders, and the entirety of the northern wastes for good measure.

She could track dragons. She could avoid being tracked. Mostly she was doing the latter; with no way to subdue the beasts, she had no desire to find them first. Gelvira's plan was to reunite with the rest of her crew, assuming the dragons hadn't killed them all. There was bound to be safety in numbers. She'd just emerged into a clearing in this maze of trees and outcroppings, when she heard something approaching, crashing carelessly through the undergrowth.

Tensing, Gelvira reached for a small throwing knife that she'd smuggled onto the island. If she aimed well, then whatever it was would be painfully distracted at the very least, buying her time to run. It was getting closer. She pulled her arm back to throw, only to have two of her own crew-mates burst into the clearing. "Run! It's right behind us!"

" _What's_ right behind you?!" she demanded, but she got her answer a moment later. A fire blast sent them sprawling, and the female Sand Wraith emerged from the smoke, toxic yellow eyes fixated on Gelvira. She backed up quickly and hefted the knife again, taking aim at the dragons snout. It charged another blast, so Gelvira flicked the blade as hard as she could. It tumbled through the air, and spun away when it was struck by a blast that came out of nowhere.

Staggering backwards, Gelvira gasped as the male Sand Wraith dived out of the sky to defend his mate. She tried to dodge around it – him – to reach her comrades, who were being accosted by the female. He lunged to intercept her, harrying her and giving up no ground. Meanwhile, the female had whipped her tail to send one huntress flying, and pinned the other under her claws.

She sniffed hard at the terrified woman struggling in her grasp, roared in the huntress' face, and made to give the same treatment to the second. Then the male snarled, and she leapt to his side, sniffing at Gelvira. Her pupils narrowed to slits, and she lunged. As the male kept her crew-mates at bay, the female pinned her, sniffed at her, and growled. She savaged Gelvira's right arm, closing her jaws around it and wrenching. There was a sickening _snap_. Gelvira screamed. The dragon backed away, fangs dripping with her blood.

Her friends slipped past the male Sand Wraith and rushed to her side. Trappers and dragons faced off, but then Nadder spines thudded between them. The Wraiths pulled back, and the female shrieked as her broken wing was jostled. The male stopped growling at them long enough to nuzzle her, and then they both vanished into the undergrowth.

The Nadder hovered overhead. "Get lost!" Gelvira screamed at it. Surprisingly, it did, but not before dropping something from its claws. Silence echoed in their ears, but at last one of the others recovered from the shock enough to go over and see what it was….a splint and bandages?

* * *

Clarencia stayed still. She didn't have much choice; she was stuck in swamp mud up to her breast and if she struggled too much, she'd sink into it even more. That Mudraker had ambushed her, lunging out of the swamp like a crocodile and dragging her in. She'd been terrified it was going to drown her. Instead it had left her stuck here, in the middle of the swamp, with no help in sight.

If she called for help, the dragons might find her, but some of the crew might as well. Clarencia decided to risk it. "Hello?! Somebody help me!"

Her shouts were answered; but not by who she'd been hoping for. A Monstrous Nightmare landed on the shore of the swamp and peered at her. "No, no, no, not you! Stay back!" she yelled at it. It looked oddly familiar.

The dragon ignored her and advanced, wading through the swamp. When it was in reach, it lowered its head, jaws gaping. Clarencia gasped and ducked, covering her head with her arms. She felt fangs snag in her clothes, and the Nightmare pulled her from the cloying mud with a sucking sound. It carried her back to shore and put her down; she stumbled away and stared up it at.

The dragon didn't go anywhere. "What? What do you want?" she asked defensively. It looked from the swamp to her, and tilted its head. _Well?_ It seemed to be saying.

"…Thanks?" she said uncertainly. The dragon actually purredat her, and then it took off, leaving Clarencia covered in mud and very confused. _Wait a minute. Wasn't that one of the dragons that attacked our ship before?_

* * *

Nicole and Cateline were being hunted by the female Triple Stryke. The strangest thing was that they kept evading her…thanks to other dragons. Like the Nadder that had driven them away from one path and onto another, only for them to hear it and the Triple Stryke roaring at each other. Or the Gronckle that cut them off with magma blasts, before the Triple Stryke emerged ahead of them, screaming in rage that it couldn't leap across the pool of lava.

These were the same dragons who had attacked the _Tempest,_ but their riders were nowhere to be seen. Had they just been trained to protect humans – any humans – from homicidal members of their own kind? Despite her scepticism, Nicole could see how that would be useful.

They soon had enough of being prey, and searched for somewhere to lay a trap. They made a snare out of vines and placed it in a clearing, covering it with leaves. "I'll draw the dragon in; you stay here and pretend to be cornered" Nicole instructed. Cateline made no protest. _Better her than me_.

It didn't take Nicole long to get the Triple Stryke's attention. She sprinted back to their trap, dodging around the trap. The furious dragon saw her and Cateline and charged, roaring a bloodthirsty roar. She tripped the snare and stumbled as several vines wrapped around her ankles, shrieking and twisting to tear or burn them away. She never got a chance. Nicole had found a bit of reed, and with it she blew a dart – one of the few freezing darts she'd smuggled onto the island.

The Triple Stryke went motionless. "I can't believe that worked" Cateline remarked, wiping her brow. "I don't know why you didn't just freeze it sooner."

"Because whenever I was about to, one of those trained dragons showed up and tried to burn or impale me" Nicole retorted. She looked up and around warily, making sure there weren't any other dragons around.

"So, we're going to go round up the rest of our crew, right?" Cateline assumed.

"Not yet. This dragon is more trouble than it's worth; nothing tries to kill me without me returning the favour" Nicole said darkly. From her clothes she extracted a hidden knife, and moved to stand in front of the beast. She wanted it to know it had brought this on itself. This was _personal._

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

The bellow came out of nowhere, and then a full grown man crashed down on her from the sky. They tumbled end over end; he rolled to his feet first and shouted, "I won't let you murder my dragon's desired, fiend! For I am Dagur the Defiant!" His and Sleuther's new move had worked like a charm; he would grab his dragons tail bulb, and Sleuther would flick him towards enemies. He called it the Dagupult. His wife called it a back problem in the making.

Nicole wasn't slow in getting up herself. "Cateline!" she snapped, tossing the knife to her first mate to finish the job. Cateline hesitated – she didn't think slaying the dragon was entirely necessary – and before she or Nicole could do anything, one of the Night Furies came silently up behind her and snatched her up, carrying her into the sky with a scream.

Cateline dropped the knife; Nicole dived for it, but she had to roll out of the way of a blow from the male Triple Stryke's tail. He placed himself between her and the female, spreading his wings and roaring. "Attaboy, Sleuth!" Dagur cried gleefully. "What are you waiting for, dragon trapping witch? You wanna dance? Let's dance!" he taunted his opponent, brandishing a dagger.

Nicole cursed, briefly wished she still had her trusty Toledo's, and twirled her own weapon in her fingers deftly. "Oh, we can dance. I'll lead" she declared, before making the first move.

* * *

When they'd been put on this island, Scorpia had gone straight after the leader of the trappers. _She_ had captured Scorpia. _She_ had led her human pack to capture all of them, to use them like common beasts. She deserved to die.

The Swift-Wing alpha and his human pet both told them not to kill the humans, but why should Scorpia listen to him? He wasn't her Alpha. She _had_ no Alpha.

Now it had all gone wrong. Her thirst for revenge had blinded her, her prey had caught her in a trap again and frozen her. Unable to move, Scorpia could only watch as the human stepped forward with a blade, ready to drive it into her throat. She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Then, out of nowhere, the human who rode the Three-Tail drake fell out of the sky, crashing into the killing human, one of the Swift-Wings snatched up the other human, and the drake landed to guard her. *What is happening?!* she demanded, wishing she could move and hiss at the threat herself.

*We're rescuing you* the male replied.

*We?*

*My human and I! He just had me flick him onto the female who was going to kill you. He's fighting her right now to protect you!*

*Why?*

*Because he's a good human and he cares about you.*

*Why would he care? He doesn't even know me!*

*Fine, he thinks if he earns your trust, you'll stay here and be my mate.*

Dagur and Nicole were still fighting. They both gave as good as they got, but at last Nicole disarmed him and put her knife to his throat. "Any last words?"

"Behind you" he grinned. Nicole's brow furrowed in confusion, until she heard a snarl behind her. She looked back, but it was too late; the dragon grabbed her in its claws and launched into the air, the knife tumbling out of her grasp. Dagur rolled out of the way and waved at the ascending pair, before approaching the Three-Tails. "I really wouldn't wanna be her right now" he commented.

* * *

(1) This is a real Viking insult and translates to 'son of an outlaw', but also 'son of a wolf'.

(2) This is true, it's not just an excuse he made up on the spot.

(3) Muddie's species don't have fire – they emit sonic blasts, like a Thunderdrum, and in the water these blasts cause huge and powerful waves. Tbh, they have an even more unique ability to sense vibrations, but I couldn't think of a way to translate that into how a dragon would see it.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Eight

The diplomats had wanted to be with their dragons as they patrolled the island, but Hiccup said it would be better if the trappers saw their dragons acting without any human influence. However, he _did_ offer to let them hear thought-speak. The trouble was that he didn't have a sure-fire way to let several people hear thought-speak at once, and he was probably going to get a migraine bridging the gap for all five of them.

"Yeah but, we don't need to hear _all_ of the dragons, do we? We kinda just need to hear our own" Brenda pointed out. "Can't you just, y'know, do that?"

"Hm. Well, it can't hurt to try" Hiccup acknowledged. He paused and added, "I wonder if…right, Brenda, c'mere and put your hand on Shimmer - that's it, both of you close your eyes – okay, can you see her in your mind's eye? Good. Reach out to her in your mind. Shimmer, if you can see Brenda reaching out to you in your mind's eye, reach out to her…almost… _there!_ " They both gasped as the connection was made. "Hopefully it'll be easier to keep the link going if we're both supporting it. Go on, Shimmer, say hello."

*Hello, Brenda* the Spike-Tail chirped. Perhaps it wasn't becoming of a warrior, or a dragon rider, but Brenda squealed in delight. Hiccup did the same with the other four, and they were just as ecstatic as their friend. Hearing their dragons' voices for the first time was incredible. More surprising still, even though they thought they'd only be hearing their own dragons, they discovered they could understand each other's as well.

"Maybe your dragon's telepathy is affecting you guys" Hiccup theorised, "which means the 'magic translator' might kick in, and you'll be able to understand the trappers." Nicole had apparently taught herself Norse during the months-long voyage there, and she was evidently a fast learner, given that she could speak it fluently enough for them to understand her (1).

"What I don't get is", Otto began, "if you can let people hear thought-speak, and you want to convince these trappers that dragons are intelligent, why don't you just let them hear thought-speak?"

"Oh, believe me Otto, if I could do that, I would" Hiccup agreed. "Really, if I could just snap my fingers and let everyone hear thought-speak, I wouldn't hesitate. But the last time people found out I could understand dragons, they tried to take advantage, force me to translate for them. I can do this for you guys because I trust you, but Astrid doesn't trust these people."

"It's a shame we can't hear them permanently" Margret sighed, petting Gurgle. She nuzzled her human and said *We've managed so far, right?*

"Remind me again why the dragons can understand us but we can't understand them?" Braun asked, "How does that work?"

"Good question. I think it's because dragons are telepathic, and their thought-speak doesn't sound any different to our speech. They hear us talking the same way they hear each other, but we're not telepathic, so we can't hear them. Although…if I can let other people hear thought-speak, maybe we _are_ a little bit telepathic. It's just being…blocked somehow."

* * *

Leaving his apprentices and their dragons to get reacquainted, Hiccup and Toothless went to talk to Gonzales. He hissed viciously at them from behind the bars of his cage, and when the door was opened, sprang out and raced in dizzying circles around them, shrieking insults they couldn't properly hear. At last he wore himself out – in a manner of speaking – and stalked towards them, tail lashing. Hiccup wished they could have let him out sooner.

*No threat* Hiccup told him cautiously, even as Toothless bared his fangs in warning. *It's okay, Gonzales, we just want to talk to you. Can we call you that? Or would you prefer to be called something else?*

The small but dangerous dragon hissed suspiciously at him. *You're a human but you can think-speak how can you think-speak?* he demanded, all in a rush.

*Long story. Let's just say I'm no ordinary human. Just listen, please. I need to ask you about Nicole. You know, Nicole Stormheart?* Hiccup was about to continue, when suddenly Gonzales shrieked and dashed off at high speed.

*Where is my Queen where is she what have you done to her let me out of this trap you horrible human and Swift-Wing let me out right now tell me where she is!* he screamed, racing around the arena in search of an escape route.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down!"

The Quick-Sting darted at them; Toothless only saw a blur, but he leapt anyway, and managed to bowl the smaller dragon over. Thinking quickly, he clamped his jaws over Gonzales' thrashing tail, pinning his kicking legs with both front paws. Gonzales screeched, *Get off me get off me get off me!* and tried to bite, until Hiccup risked pinching his neck and forcing him to go limp.

*You freeze us, and you will never get out of here* Toothless growled, even as he released Gonzales and returned to Hiccup's side. He kept his eyes on the Quick-Sting as Gonzales squirmed and sprang to his feet, panting.

*Nicole is fine* Hiccup told him straightaway, *She's not hurt. She told us how she found you, helped you when you were injured. Is that true? Is that what really happened, when you met her?*

Gonzales demanded *Why do you want to know strange human who can think-speak and mean Swift-Wing that I don't like?*

Toothless snorted at him. Hiccup explained *We just want to know if she was lying. Please, tell us what happened when you met her.*

*My name was Grigora I was hunting I was chasing prey I fell off a cliff and broke my leg I was abandoned by my pack and found by humans Nicole mended my leg she fed me she fought me and won she defeated and spared me and she leads her humans well and fiercely so I respect her and follow her as my new Queen with my new name.*

*And it doesn't bother you that she took you from your home? Or kept you in a cage?* Hiccup questioned.

* _You_ kept me in a cage! Nicole-Queen let me out in her ship-nest every night.*

Toothless grunted in annoyance. *We let you out of that cage, and I'm regretting it* he commented. Gonzales hissed at him. *What about the dragons you've helped her capture? She uses your venom to catch innocent dragons!*

*I help my Queen any way I can I let her use my venom to catch dragons without hurting them they are not harmed Nicole-Queen is not bad!*

*But she forces the dragons she captures to mate, and then she sells their eggs and young. How can you turn a blind eye to that?*

Gonzales replied *Those other dragons are bad they fight Nicole-Queen she feeds them and gives them mates but they don't respect her so they deserve to be punished and have their eggs taken because their eggs are hers.*

As disturbing as it was, everything Gonzales said made sense. Quick-Stings were rigidly hierarchical and any dragon who disobeyed the pack leader or refused to submit was shunned, even attacked outright. The pack leader had absolute power over every other Quick-Sting, even the ones not yet hatched, and if Gonzales saw Nicole as his Queen then of course he would see the other dragons and their young as her subjects as well.

Toothless snarled at him, indignant and disgusted. *Calm down, Toothless* Hiccup urged, *We're not here to fight. Besides, it's all he knows.*

This changed things. Nicole hadn't lied about Gonzales; she hadn't forced him to obey her, he was clearly doing it willingly. The whole 'breeding dragons' thing unnerved him, but that was because he saw dragons as people in their own right. From Nicole and the trapper's point of view, how was what they were doing any different from breeding and selling sheep?

It was too late to stop the trapper's punishment. Hiccup regretted agreeing to it; he could tell it wouldn't help, would likely just make things worse. Part of his choice had been lingering resentment towards Nicole for taking his other half away, but it wasn't as if she'd _known_. Not to mention, he was in the yak stall with Astrid after that fiasco, and he'd wanted to show he could listen to her.

Was that right, though? It wasn't that Hiccup was an insubordinate renegade – okay, no, he was, but he (usually) had a good reason. He started to form a plan, one that Astrid would definitely not like. Then he hesitated. She had good reason not to like it; she was only trying to protect him. He appreciated that, but…he didn't want this. Day to day life was one thing, but when there was a problem he could help solve, and he couldn't _act_ – it tore at him.

Toothless sensed his mounting frustration and nuzzled him lightly, even as the dragon kept a wary eye on Gonzales. *I'm okay, bud. I just feel…helpless. It's not that I don't think the diplomats are capable; I'm worried it won't be enough. Not if the wild dragons attack the trappers first. I wish I could prove to Nicole that you guys are intelligent myself. At least then I could be sure.*

*I know* Toothless warbled sympathetically, *but what else can we do? If she sees you, she'll tell Adulfr that you're alive.*

*But she's going to tell him anyway. At this point hiding is pointless. I think…I think we should let Nicole hear thought-speak* he announced, almost as fast as Gonzales (who was running blurred laps around them). Toothless stared at him.

"Just hear me out. The diplomats might convince some of the trappers, but if we don't convince Nicole it will all be for naught. She's their captain. And you heard the excuses the Icelandic chieftains gave, trying to explain away you understanding them; but it's a _lot_ harder for people to ignore understanding you. I know it's a risk, but if I can prove to Nicole that dragons are intelligent and you can understand us, if I can just _show_ her…isn't it a risk worth taking?" Hiccup asked rhetorically. "She ought to stop trapping and breeding dragons. She might even join us against Adulfr, if she knows there's a better way.

"I know it's reckless. I know I'm supposed to be laying low, that it's for my own good, but let's face it, that plan has failed. She knows I'm alive, she's going to tell people, they'll be after me again and – and I'll just have to think of another plan. If I can just talk to her, explain things, if there's even the slightest chance of changing her mind and I think there might be…I have to try."

*But what if she tells Adulfr that you can understand dragons?*

"To be honest, I'm hoping that if I can change her mind, she won't. But we can't control what she does. Besides…I think he already knows. Harald forced me to tell him I could understand you, and for all we know, he told some of his crew. If he did, and they broke Adulfr out of prison, they probably told him too. So she wouldn't be telling him anything he didn't already know.

"Believe me, if I thought there was another way…but Nicole didn't make a request, it was an ultimatum. She said she'd leave the archipelago in peace if she met me. Which means that if she doesn't, they'll keep trapping dragons here, and…and we can't defend everywhere at once. That's why I need to nip this in the bud, and this could be the only way to do that."

*But she might stay around and trap dragons anyway* Toothless pointed out, *We can't trust her, or her crew.*

"I'm not so sure. I mean yeah, they're enemies, but…Nicole hasn't really _lied_ to us. She didn't lie when Astrid and the others were interrogating her, or about what they actually do, or about Gonzales. She got the reason wrong, but he really is obeying her of his own free will, she isn't forcing him." It was odd to think about, but this meant Nicole was the second human besides him to be a dragon's alpha. Not that she realised it, of course.

*Yes, but why do we have to let her hear thought-speak?* Toothless pressed. *Why take the risk? Just let your diplomats convince the trappers. That's what you're teaching them for, isn't it? To do this sort of thing when you can't?*

"But that's just it, Toothless!" Hiccup burst out. "It's not like I'm sick or anything – I _could_ do something, but I'm not allowed. It's my own fault, I know, but you can't expect me to just stand by and do _nothing_. If I do nothing, Nicole _will_ tell Adulfr that I'm alive. If I show her the truth, there's a chance she won't. Even if she does, he's going to come back anyway, I'm going to face him, so what difference does it make? Hearing you speak will convince her when nothing else would. Is it really so wrong of me to want to _help_ and do my actual job?"

"Of course not."

Hiccup and Toothless jumped out of their skins, wheeling to stare up at Astrid and Stormfly, standing at the edge of the ring. Gonzales screeched at them. *Oh, shut up. They're friends* Toothless growled at him.

Trusting his dragon to keep an eye on their…guest…Hiccup slowly approached his wife, trying not to cringe. She and Stormfly hopped down into the arena. "Astrid! At ease, Stormfly. Um, hi! Hello. What brings you here?" he asked, grinning awkwardly.

"I came to tell you the wild dragons have been safely taken to the island" she explained. "Hiccup, listen" –

He held a hand up to cut her off. "I know what you're going to say. And you're right, both of you. It's stupid and reckless, and I shouldn't risk it."

She shook her head slowly. " _You're_ right."

"Yes, that's what I just…" he paused as her words registered. "What?"

"Well, you're right about that last part, but…you're right about Nicole, and Adulfr too. I know you've been frustrated, and I'm so proud of you for _trying_...but being on the sidelines like this is driving you crazy, isn't it?"

"Crazier" he corrected, and she chuckled. He told her what he actually wanted to do, unsure of how much she'd overheard, and when he finished she considered it carefully.

"Just…promise me you'll be careful. Don't take any unnecessary risks" Astrid told him. Hiccup could hardly believe she was letting him do this. "Do you really think you can convince her?"

"Not like I'm good for much else!" He'd meant it as a joke, albeit a self-deprecating one, but she frowned.

"Don't say that. Toothless, if he says something like that again, sit on him" she instructed the Swift-Wing, who had walked over to join them.

*Will do!* he agreed at once, before looking over at Hiccup. *So what's the plan?* he asked. Slowly, a grin spread out across Hiccup's face.

"You remember when you and Astrid first met…?"

* * *

Nicole refused to scream. The breath was knocked out of her when the dragon – the Night Fury – first grabbed her, anyway. It hooked its short claws under her pauldrons and carried her away, before finally dropping her in the uppermost branches of a tall tree. Then the dragon landed next to, and sort of on top of her, making the whole tree creak and bend under its weight.

Panting to catch her breath, Nicole squinted up at her impromptu kidnapper. It was the male Night Fury, she realised, the one with the red prosthetic tail-fin. That mysterious black-clad rider was nowhere in sight. "Okay, I have no idea what's going on here, but I'm gonna climb down now." Nicole began to look for a way to do just that. The dragon growled and snarled. She looked up at it.

The dragon jerked its head back at its shoulders in a 'climb on' gesture. It was wearing a saddle. Was it offering her a ride? _This is getting more and more surreal_ Nicole thought to herself. She weighed her options; climb out of the tree and risk the Night Fury snatching her up again, or get on its back and see if she could make it land. After all, if these _al-Madjus_ (2) could ride dragons, how hard could it be?

So she climbed back up, and heaved herself up onto the dragon's back. Slipping her feet into the simple stirrups and grasping the arch of leather at the front of the saddle, Nicole instructed, "Fly down, dragon." It crouched ready to take off, raising its wings, coiled tight as a spring – or a catapult.

"Uh-oh" Nicole murmured, a second before the Night Fury launched into the air. It felt like her heart, stomach, and possibly also her liver, had all been tossed up into her throat before falling back to their proper places. The dragon ascended incredibly fast, powerful wings beating as it climbed and climbed and climbed. Nicole hung onto the arch with all her strength, trying to hang on with her knees like with a horse as well.

The launch knocked the breath out of her a second time – by the time she caught it, they were so high the island looked almost as small as it had on her maps. The very first thing she screamed out was "STOP!"

Sure enough, the dragon stopped. It hung in the air for a heart-stopping moment, and then it folded its wings and fell. It dropped like a stone for a few moments, snapped open its wings and veered back and forth, climbing and diving steeply like a giant, demented martin. Nicole prided herself on always being in control, but now she couldn't help but scream. She had never been so sure she was about to die. _What is wrong with this crazy dragon?!_

All her skill, all her knowledge and training meant nothing. No dragon had ever done this to her before, and she didn't know anyone who'd been carried off by a dragon and lived to tell the tale. There was bound to be a way to make the Night Fury stop, but what was it? How did these riders tame the beasts?

Yanking on the handhold, digging her heels in and shouting "Whoa, boy! Cease!" wasn't working. If anything, it seemed to make things worse.

"Bad dragon! Put me down!" Scolding it didn't seem to help much either. As if things weren't terrifying enough, the dragon started spinning and twisting like a dust devil. Sky became water became sky dizzyingly fast, and Nicole screwed her eyes shut, desperately clinging to the saddle. She couldn't even think of a way to make it stop – all she could do was hold on and pray.

The dragon roared, sounding almost frustrated, and she heard a whoosh as its wings spread once more. They slowed down so fast Nicole almost got whiplash, and then the Night Fury beat its wings and climbed, getting incredibly high impossibly fast. "Please! Stop! Stop it!" Nicole begged. What else could she do?

Her desperate pleas seemed to give the dragon pause, as it slowed in its ascent – but that was just the calm before the storm. It seemed the Night Fury had had enough of her on its back; it arched, beating its wings to invert itself. Nicole's feet slipped out of the stirrups despite her attempts to brace herself, and then the dragon twisted, throwing her off and letting her plummet.

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

Now she was absolutely certain she was going to die. Nicole always sort of figured she'd be killed by a dragon, but she never expected it to be like this. _I know I'm a sinner, God, but I swear I won't sin – as much – if you spare me now!_

Nicole regretting ever sailing to this accursed archipelago, or capturing this damn dragon… _wait a minute._ Suddenly, it clicked. She knew what the Night Fury wanted. What it had been waiting for this whole time. At the time she didn't know _how_ she knew; she just felt it, as surely as she could feel a storm on the horizon even when the sky looked clear.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I captured you! Please! _Help me_!"

Just when she was on the verge of praying that her inevitable death would be quick, the Night Fury swept underneath her. It caught her, knocking the breath from her one more time, and glided. Stunned, Nicole kept her eyes closed and panted, trying to catch her breath. Her fingers coiled around the arch and clung to it, lest the dragon change its mind and throw her off again.

After a while – she couldn't tell how much time had passed, still disoriented by all the spinning – Nicole felt cold dampness on her skin. The dragon crooned at her. It sounded so gentle that she suddenly felt the urge to open her eyes and glare at it incredulously. Yet the moment she did so, Nicole sat up, looked around, and stared in awe. They were _above the clouds._

It was as if the dome of the sky was a crystal blue ocean, stretching out as far as the eye could see, dotted with puffy, wispy island clouds. The air was colder, but not so thin that she couldn't breathe. Even from the crow's nest of her ship, Nicole had never seen so far. In the ocean below them, sunlight danced and flashed on the green tinged spires of ice that ringed the Isle of Berk. Even from that great height, the island looked colourful and vibrant. It looked like a place where anything was possible. The whole sky felt like a place for dreamers.

She was _flying._ And it was like nothing like she'd ever experienced before.

* * *

The dragon hovered a moment more, then swerved and flew back down to the island. Now that he wasn't flying so erratically, Nicole found it much easier to hold on. They landed in a clearing on the southern side of the isle, where the black-clad rider was waiting. As soon as Nicole had scrambled off his back, the Fury pounced at the man and licked him like a dog eagerly greeting its master. The man chuckled, a warm sound, and pet the dragon affectionately.

Nicole stared at them warily. If she could get close to the dragon again she could incapacitate it and it's rider, figure out how to get that helmet off, and find out for sure if this really was the so-called 'Dragon Whisperer'. Fighting a deep primeval urge to run in the opposite direction, she edged closer to the Night Fury. It would be so much simpler if she had her darts, or Gonzales here.

But the dragon finished covering its rider in spit and turned to stare at her with unnerving intensity. Nicole froze. Behind her she heard a rustling sound, and turned sideways so she could keep the first Fury in the corner of her eye, as the second emerged from the trees. Surrounded, Nicole tried to back away, but the second Fury, the female, moved to intercept her.

"Where's Cateline?" she demanded, knowing that the female Night Fury must have taken her first mate and friend. Nicole was _not_ accustomed to being the one getting cornered, especially when she had no weapons to defend herself.

Without removing his helmet, the man replied, "Somewhere on the island, unharmed. How was your flight?"

"Like you don't know" she spat at him. "That dragon of yours is a mad thing! I thought he was going to kill me. Did you _make_ him do that?"

"I _asked_ Toothless to scare you, not kill you. None of your crew have been killed by the wild dragons on this island" he informed her.

Nicole humphed at him. "Could've fooled me. That Triple Stryke was hunting Cateline and I" she informed him, "it wanted to kill us."

"I had a feeling she might not behave, which is why I asked Dagur to follow her and intervene if things went awry."

"You mean the yelling redhead? Your friend cut it pretty close. She was practically at our throats when he deigned to show up."

"I somehow doubt that's what happened, but I digress."

"Why are you still wearing that helmet?" Nicole asked. "I can barely hear you, and it's not like I don't know who you are. Hiccup Haddock the Third. Dragon trainer extraordinaire. Rider of the red-tailed Night Fury. Back from the dead."

"Exactly" he shrugged, "I'm a draugr. Decomposing from the head down. Hideous! It hasn't got to my hands, though." He wiggled his fingers.

"Is this a game to you?" Nicole demanded. He was clearly playing with her like a cat with a mouse. Perhaps there was still a chance to turn the tables.

"It's not like I have much else to do. Being undead is just as boring as it sounds."

She glared at him, unimpressed. "Okay, fine, I'm not a draugr. But I'm still not taking my helmet off. My wife will kill me. Sooner than Adulfr will try to kill me. I know he asked you to find out if I was still alive."

"Well, if that's the case, then why conceal yourself?" Nicole asked. "Tell you what, dragon lover. If you take off your helmet, I promise my crew and I will leave in peace. You'll never hear from us again."

The man stepped down from the rock he was perched on, and the dragons moved with him. "I'll let you leave in peace, if you swear that you won't breathe a word of what I'm going to show you to anyone else" he told Nicole.

She stepped as close as she dared with the Night Fury right there, and tried to meet his eyes through the slit in his helmet. "Is that a threat?"

"If I were you I'd go with it, or you will never get out of this archipelago. The Outcasts are pretty miffed about your trespass and they have quite roomy cells."

"Fine, I swear I won't tell anyone about…whatever this is. Now take off your helmet" Nicole insisted.

"I never actually agreed to do that" he pointed out mildly. When she gave him a death glare, he hastily added, "but I guess I could compromise." He pushed the visor of his helmet up, uncovering beard-rimmed lips. "How's that?"

"Hmph. Better, I suppose. But now you can't even see me." Sure enough, the slits in the visor for his eyes was now high up on his forehead.

"True, but the dragons can see you just fine."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better" Nicole sneered sarcastically. Frustrated, she declared "I'll ask you one more time, Dragon Whisperer. What do you want?"

He hopped off the rock he was perched on. "To open your mind" he answered, "to show you the truth, and a better way."

Nicole stared at him incredulously. "What are you, a missionary?"

Ignoring her, he looked at his dragon and remarked "So much for being poetic." The dragon narrowed its eyes – not pupils, just eyes – and snorted. "No, you're right. That was bad, even for me."

The man looked at Nicole again. She was staring at him incredulously. "Toothless isn't that impressed by my attempts at waxing lyrical. Dragons can understand us. Everything we say; isn't that right, you two?" This last was addressed to the dragons, who bobbed their heads up and down. "Not that you always listen, eh?" The Furies shook their heads back and forth.

Nicole scoffed. "Do you really expect me to believe that? You've obviously just trained them to nod and shake their heads."

He looked from the dragons to her and back to them. "I told you she'd say something like that" the man remarked. The dragons nodded.

Turning to Nicole once more, he told her "You don't believe that dragons understand us. Fair enough. What if you could understand them? What if you heard them speak to you? Would you believe they were like us then?"

Nicole stared at him. "….You're insane."

"Yep! Madman with a dragon, that's me" he grinned at her. "Come on, Nicole. You've flown on a dragon. What do you have to lose?"

 _My sanity, the longer I spend around you_. "I assume the sooner I play along with your ridiculous whims, the sooner I can leave. So hurry up and say what you want to say" Nicole declared impatiently.

"I just need you to hold still and close your eyes" he explained. Reluctantly, she acquiesced and heard him step closer, felt his hand on her forehead. "Okay. Can you see Toothless in your mind's eye?" he asked. When she murmured an affirmative, he instructed "Imagine reaching out to touch him. Picture that in your mind. Okay? Almost…almost…there!"

Nicole felt…something…and gasped, stumbling away from them. "Yeah, it feels a bit strange at first, sorry" he said apologetically. "Right, so, Toothless, Nicole. Nicole, Toothless" he introduced them. The dragon stared at her. She stared at it. Then, out of nowhere, it spoke. *Boo.*

She leapt backwards. Someone screamed – no, wait, that was her. The female Night Fury stepped forwards and spoke as well. *Don't be scared. I'm Selena, Toothless' mate. I didn't hurt your friend, by the way. I just put her down near some of your humans and came here to wait with Hiccup.*

Something hard hit her spine, and Nicole realised she'd backed into a tree. Her mouth opened and closed several times, eyes darting from the dragons to the masked crazy rider and back again. "I – you – they" – she glared at the Dragon Whisperer and all but yelled, "What is going on?!"

He looked at the dragons. The male – Toothless? – remarked *She's freaking out a lot.*

"Well, it is a bit much to take in. She's coping better than I thought she would."

Nicole couldn't believe her ears. "You…you did something. To me. Whatever it is, stop it! Get out of my head!"

"I'm not in your head! All I did was bridge the gap. I can't just turn it off; but don't worry, it'll stop on its own in a couple of hours or so."

Nicole shook her head, clamping her hands over her ears. "This isn't happening. It's impossible. I'm losing it!"

*It is happening, it's not impossible, and you aren't losing it.*

*Losing what?*

*Her mind.*

Desperate for answers, Nicole looked up at the Dragon Whisperer. The visor was still obscuring his vision, but he was facing her and looked concerned. "Are you alright?" he asked her. _No_ , she wanted to scream at him, _I am not alright!_

"The…the dragons are talking. They're talking to me."

"….Yes?"

"But…their mouths…"

"Aren't moving" he nodded. "You get used to it. It's called thought-speak."

That jarred another realisation to the forefront of Nicole's brain. "You can understand them too!"

"Ah...Yes. I can. No, I won't tell you how."

*You're being sensible for once* Toothless noted. His mate, Selena, made an odd trilling, clicking noise that almost sounded like a snigger.

Nicole's mind was reeling. "I get it now. Dragon _Whisperer_. This is how you do it. The dragons…talk…with their minds, and you can use yours to control them."

Hiccup groaned. "I _don't control them._ I befriend and am polite to them. Selena, can you sweep the area, _please_?" he asked the female dragon pointedly.

*Sure thing!* she warbled brightly, taking off to circle above and check that nobody was coming towards them. Nicole watched her go, head spinning more than when the male…when Toothless had been throwing her about like a rag doll. She had so many questions.

"How…long have you been able to do this?"

He shrugged. "A while. I wasn't born with it. It just sort of happened."

"But why you? What you makes so special?"

Another shrug. "You tell me. I can't be sure, but I might be the first human to try and bring peace between humans and dragons. Perhaps the gods, or God, or the powers that be gave me this gift so I could do that better…or make things worse, it's hard to tell. But I can't be certain. The world's a big place. For all I know, there are other dragon whisperers out there."

"Okay…so why me? Why do all this? What do you have to gain?"

"I hoped to gain an ally. I took this risk to let you hear thought-speak because you're the captain; you have the most sway over what your crew does. I'm tired of making enemies, Nicole. I needed to change your mind. Besides, there's something you need to hear from Toothless himself." He gestured for the dragon to speak, in that strange way of theirs.

Nicole found herself pinned by his intense, slit pupiled gaze. *Nicole Stormheart, listen well. If you ever try and separate us again, if you betray us to Adulfr, I swear to the Moon and Sun and all the stars that I will track you down, no matter how far away you run, no matter where you hide, and I will make sure you regret it.* This threat was accompanied by a growl that shook her to the core. She knew that the dragon absolutely meant every word.

His rider swatted him on the nose. "Bad dragon! That's not what I meant. We need her to like us" he protested, exasperatedly. Toothless rolled his eyes.

"I…I…" Nicole couldn't seem to make her mouth work. The ground had shifted and fallen away from under her feet, and she'd fallen into a strange new world. Where dragons could speak and understand humans, and everything she'd been sure of before was crumbling away. "What happened between you and Adulfr?"

"Just a sec. Toothless" the rider said disapprovingly, somehow looking at the dragon despite his eyes being covered. "You know what I meant. Nicole apologised to you, didn't she? Now it's your turn. C'mon, bud. Do it for me, please?" he coaxed, scratching the Fury under the chin. Toothless' pupils widened and he purred involuntarily.

*Oh, alright* Toothless relented. He looked at Nicole again, gaze softened somewhat, and told her, *I'm sorry for flying madly to frighten you and make you feel sick. Although it's really your own fault for putting me on that boat in the first place. I hate boats* he snarled, shaking himself all over.

Hiccup gave a long suffering sigh. "Close enough. Now then, Adulfr…"

"Wait! Could you…could you take off your helmet, please?" Nicole asked. "I do know who you are, and – you expect me to trust you, but how can I when I can't even see your face? I don't even know why I've been listening to you."

"It's my naturally charming personality" he replied smoothly. Toothless swatted him with his tail-fins. "Or it's the dragon. But I am getting kind of sick of wearing this. What do you think, bud?"

Toothless hummed thoughtfully. *I think it will be alright* he said at last, *but I have my eyes on you!* he warned Nicole.

She nodded wordlessly, staring as the rider pulled off his helmet at last. He was youthful, with a shock of auburn hair and a beard that was little more than ambitious stubble. He rubbed his eyes, blinking after the darkness, and looked at her with green orbs that gleamed with kindness and trustworthiness.

"That's better. Hello, Nicole."

"…You're a lot better looking than your wanted poster."

He chuckled. Toothless moved behind him, and he sat sidesaddle on the dragon's back. "So. I'm guessing Adulfr told you that I killed his father, or that I ordered Toothless to kill his father, and that I'm secretly amassing a dragon army to…I don't even know. Take over the world? Why would I – or anyone, for that matter – want to do that?"

Nicole didn't disagree. "Your dragon _did_ kill his father" she challenged instead, "there were eyewitnesses."

The Night Fury growled, reminding Nicole that although he had the voice of a man, now, he was still a dragon. *I did kill Hauke, because he tried to kill Hiccup first. I was only protecting my human.*

"We didn't even know Adulfr existed" Hiccup added. "Hauke had his men beat me up and then tried to stab me. He didn't exactly give the impression of being a family man."

"He was cruel; that doesn't mean he wasn't a father. Anyone can be a _father_ " Nicole scoffed. "All it takes is them meeting a prostitute who hasn't counted the days between her monthly bleeding properly (3), and they never hear anything of it afterwards." Something in her tone and the bitter set of her mouth told Hiccup that this was more personal for Nicole than a mere remark.

"True; but surely you can see why I wouldn't have thought…" Hiccup cleared his throat and went on. "Yes, I – we – killed Hauke. His son could have challenged me to holmgang, to avenge him, and involved nobody else. Instead, Adulfr gathered an army to him, lying to them about who I am and what I do, and attacked my home. He captured us and ordered my best friend to be tortured, right in front of me. Toothless, show her."

The dragon lowered and stretched out a wing. Hiccup leaned over and traced his fingers along a scar in the leathery membrane. There were many scars; the Night Fury had been whipped, hard. "Adulfr does not care who he hurts, or what he has to do to get what he wants. Whatever he's offering you, it isn't worth it. If he's threatening you, we can help. Nicole, you cannot trust him."

She knew that much already. The way she'd grown up ('been raised' would be too generous a term) and her responsibility as captain had given Nicole a keen eye for what people said silently. She could tell Adulfr was bad news, but he had a silver tongue and persuaded her to join him, promising riches. At first she had believed Hiccup to be no different, manipulating her with his words, and in a way she supposed they were the same. Yet in others, so different.

For one thing, unlike Adulfr, the man watching her expectantly had proven what he preached. If she had not heard the dragons speak, she would not have believed it, yet try as she might, Nicole could not deny her own ears. She was quite sure that she was not mad; although not as sure as she had been. And if dragons could truly speak, and understand humans…

"They knew" she murmured, staring but not seeing. "This whole time, they knew what we were doing to them. They knew why." She looked at Hiccup, and he had to stop himself from smiling, when he saw the light dawn in her eyes.

*Coast is clear!* Selena roared down from above.

*Thanks, Sel! We'll be there in a bit!* Toothless roared back in turn.

Hiccup swung himself into the saddle properly. "Come back to Berk with me" he offered, "We'll talk to Astrid, figure something out. And Nicole? Thank you. For listening to me. And I forgive you for kidnapping my dragon. It's my own fault for being out there in the first place. I promise the flight won't be so bad this time." He held a hand out to her, asking her to trust him.

Nicole hesitated for only a moment, before reaching out to take his hand.

* * *

(1) Out of the ass explanation because I couldn't be bothered to go back and write in a translator.

(2) This is an old Arabic/Islamic word for Vikings from the west and north, which translates, rather fittingly, to 'fire-worshippers'.

(3) A reference to the 'rhythm method', an ineffective way of avoiding pregnancy by not having sex during ovulation, and a bit of backstory for Nicole.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

A/N: Well, this story got away from me. The next chronological story will be somewhat delayed, partly because I need to plan it out more thoroughly ( _it's a doozy_ ), and partly because my plot bunnies are ( _holding me hostage, please send help_ ) asking ( _demanding_ ) that I write a ( _very dark and disturbing_ ) Heart Bound AU, and I need to get that out of my system.

Chapter Nine

"What are we going to do now?" Beatris asked. She and Ildaria had bandaged up Gelvira's wound, but the dragon had broken her right arm, the one she fought with. Not that she couldn't make do with her left, but it was difficult and inconvenient, especially with her other arm in a sling. Gelvira hated that Sand Wraith; what had she done to deserve it mauling her like this?

To Beatris, she replied "All we can do is find somewhere defensible, or find the rest of the crew. There's no way we can just stand around and wait for the damn beasts to come back and finish the job." (1) Almost prophetically, as soon as she'd said this, wingbeats cut through the air and a Deadly Nadder landed near them. It was the same one that had dropped the bandages, except now there was a young blonde woman on its back.

All three of them drew weapons immediately and moved into the dragon's blind spot. This didn't really work as they all tried to stand in it at once, and anyway the Nadder just turned it's head to the side. Gelvira glared at the girl riding it. "You people are insane!" she accused.

"Or maybe we know something you don't" the girl countered, swinging out of the saddle and dropping to the ground. The Nadder towered over her, but she just scratched it as if heedless of the dagger-sharp fangs jutting out of its jaw, or the huge claws it could scythe her in half with, or the deadly barbs of its tail.

"I know that you so-called dragon lovers are wretched barbarians!" Gelvira spat.

The girl glared at her. "Barbarians? That's rich coming from you, _slaver_ " she retorted with a sneer.

"You Vikings stranded us all here and set dragons on us! Look at what that damn Sand Wraith did to my arm!" Gelvira snapped at her.

"Well, you broke her wing first."

The girl's accusation threw Gelvira and her comrades for a loop. "What?"

She rolled her eyes at them. "The female Sand Wraith's wing is broken. I bet you're the one who broke it" the girl accused Gelvira.

Well, she had helped. "What if I did?" Gelvira asked defensively.

"Um, hello? You broke her wing, she broke your arm. You're really not seeing the pattern here?" the girl asked incredulously. All three of them stared at her.

At last Beatris inquired, "Are you saying that dragon broke her arm to get revenge?" Her tone was dubious, sceptical.

"Yeah, but there's more to it than that" the girl began. Then she paused, and gestured to their weapons. "You were supposed to give those up."

Gelvira scoffed. "As if we'd give up _all_ our weapons. You'd have to strip us first."

The girl pulled a face. "I guess I can't blame you" she said, surprisingly enough. "I'd probably do the same thing. They clearly didn't help you much anyway" she smirked. The older women bristled, insulted, but then the Nadder nudged the girl and croaked at her. "Yeah, I guess I am being rude" she nodded, inexplicably, before turning back to them and saying "I'm Brenda, dragon diplomat of Berk, and this is my girl, Shimmer."

They didn't offer their own names. "Dragon diplomat?" Ildaria repeated.

Brenda shrugged. "More like diplomat in training. Look, the Chief didn't strand you guys here and set the dragons on you for a laugh. You broke our laws in our territory, and the council decided the most fitting punishment would be to let the dragons you captured take matters into their own…err, claws. We got our dragons to follow them and make sure they didn't hurt you too much."

"Oh, and a fine job they did too!" Gelvira scoffed. "That Nadder of yours didn't show up until _after_ the Sand Wraith nearly ripped my arm off!"

"Yeah, but she gave you those bindings" Brenda countered. "And I said 'too much', not 'at all'. That's what I'm trying to tell you! If the Sand Wraith was just a bloodthirsty monster, she would have torn you all limb from limb. But from what I can tell, she hasn't left much of a scratch on you two", she nodded at Beatris and Ildaria, "and all she did to you was break your arm. Your right arm, the way you broke her right wing."

It wasn't that they didn't get the idea of 'an eye for an eye'. But the notion that such a thing would be grasped by dragons was a bit much to swallow. "So you're saying you trained the Sand Wraith to _only_ break the arms of the ones who broke its wing. I feel _so much_ better now" Gelvira drawled sarcastically.

Brenda replied, "We didn't train her; it's only been a couple of days. We're good, but we're not _that_ good. Our…chief…just asked the dragons to only give you the injuries you gave them. _"_ They stared at her again, so she elaborated, "Dragons can understand what we're saying. Can't you, Shimmer?" she cooed at the Nadder, which bobbed its large head up and down.

Ildaria protested, "You can't seriously expect us to believe that."

"What if I could prove it?" Brenda challenged. She pointed at Gelvira. "Come with me to find Oasis - that's the female Sand Wraith's name – and apologise for breaking her wing. I'll get her to apologise to you for breaking your arm."

To say the three of them were doubtful would be an understatement. Finally, Gelvira stepped forwards. "Fine. I'll humour you."

Brenda smiled. "That'll do. That way is east" she pointed; they could tell that much from the position of the sun. "Head that way until you get to the other side of the island. We'll be waiting. Take all the time you need, there's no rush." With that, the dragon crouched and she swung into the saddle, taking off.

Up in the air, Brenda remarked to Shimmer, "I can't believe that worked!"

*It's not over yet, Brenda. We still have to persuade them to apologise* Shimmer reminded her. The Berkian diplomat wasn't worried though. "Don't worry, Shim. We got this."

* * *

Clarencia had managed to reunite with a couple more of her crew-mates; Briceida and her brother Cristóbal, the latter of which was nursing a broken arm after the Sand Wraiths had attacked him. Bizarrely, he said a dark purple Nadder had dropped a splint and bandages after scaring the other dragons away

Now they'd just heard dragons swooping down on them, and were trying to flee. They didn't get far, only to a largish clearing, before a Monstrous Nightmare landed in front of them, and a Deadly Nadder behind. The four trappers formed a defensive circle. The black haired girl on the Nadder's back called "Would you guys chill? We're not attacking you."

They stared at her, and the boy on the Nightmare. Cristóbal suddenly exclaimed, "I know that dragon! That's the Nadder that…that…"

"Gave you a splint after the female Sand Wraith broke your arm? Or was it the Triple Stryke? Either way, they only did it to show you what it's like, cos you did break their wings first. I'm Ashildr, by the way; this is Magpie, that's Braun and Firestorm" she introduced them all. The trappers just kept staring.

Clarencia recognised the Nightmare. "Your dragon…pulled me out of the swamp" she said slowly, eyeing Braun questioningly.

"Out of it?"

"…That stupid Mudraker dragged me in" she shrugged.

Braun grinned. "Ha. Muddie got you muddy."

"What?"

"That's the Mudraker's name. You said thank you after Firestorm got you out of the mud, right?"

"Didn't have much choice. Your dragon wouldn't leave me alone until I did."

"You're two of those riders who attacked our ship the other day" Briceida recognised them. "Have you come to finish the job?"

Riders and dragons alike rolled their eyes. "If we were gonna hurt you, we'd have done it already. We're here to offer you guys a ride off the island" Ashildr explained. Needless to say, the trappers weren't buying it.

"Why would you do that?" Briceida questioned. "More importantly, why would _we_ do that? Who _are_ you two? Apart from being crazy dragon loving Vikings."

"That pretty much sums us up" Braun grinned.

"We're dragon diplomats in training" Ashildr explained.

"….Diplomats?"

"Yeah" Braun nodded, "We're s'posed to show people how dragons are people too, and how dragons and humans can live in peace, so they'll stop tryin' to kill each other. Uh, and help our own tribes get along with our dragons better."

The incredulous expressions on the trapper's faces increased. "Live in peace with dragons" Cristóbal repeated. "I hope you don't mean _literally_ live with dragons, like you Vikings do."

"Well, people don't _have_ to live with dragons" Braun shrugged, "but if they want to that's even better."

"Better? It'd be a complete disaster!" Cristóbal exclaimed.

"He's right" agreed Briceida, "it wouldn't be fair. What if some people in a village wanted to live with dragons and some people didn't?"

"Easy. Just put a no-dragons-allowed ring around the village and tell everyone who wants to ride them to put the stables and feeding-places outside that zone" explained Ashildr. "That's what our tribes did."

"How could people possibly feed dragons?" asked Clarencia.

"Simple. They eat fish. Or if that's too hard, just befriend and train Rock…I mean, Gronckles" said Braun. "They eat rocks. It's kind of hard to run out of rocks. They're pretty much always underfoot."

Cristóbal shook his head. "You don't get it" he insisted, wincing at the pain in his arm. "Humans and dragons, living together…you think it's so easy. Have you never thought, that this would make things worse? Do you have any idea what those with dragons could do, _would_ do, to those without?"

"Dragons are smarter than you give them credit for" insisted Ashildr, "they wouldn't let themselves be used as weapons like you're implying. Our dragon partners defend us, but they wouldn't attack innocent people just because we told them to."

Cristóbal was unmoved. "I stand by my words. Dragons are dangerous, but people with dragons are even more so. If you dragon lovers really wanted peace, you should be trying to keep humans and dragons apart, not force them together. And maybe consider not letting them _hunt_ people."

"Should've thought of that before you broke the rules. If you don't want a ride then just keep heading east, to the far side of the island" Ashildr pointed helpfully. Then both of their dragons spread wings and flew away.

* * *

"You wouldn't, right?" Ashildr asked Magpie. "Do what I say blindly, I mean. Like, if I said 'I don't like that person over there, please skewer them', you wouldn't just do it...would you?"

Magpie clicked in confusion. *What person? Are you talking about Braun? Because I think Alpha-Hiccup would be angry if I skewered him.*

"Hey!" Braun exclaimed, indignant. "Never mind Hiccup being angry, _I'd_ be angry if you skewered me! Thanks a lot, Magpie. What gives, Ash?"

Ashildr rolled her eyes. "I forgot how literal you guys can be. Magpie, I said _if._ You know, things that might or might not happen? Let me rephrase that. _If_ humans asked dragons to help them attack other humans, would dragons do it?"

*I don't know. Maybe? Dragons don't all do the same thing. You said it was a 'might or might not'.*

*You humans are always worrying about 'if's. It's a wonder you get anything done* Firestorm remarked to Braun. He patted his dragon's neck and said, "Firestorm thinks we worry too much. I dunno about you, but I think he's right."

"Yeah, I guess. C'mon, let's make sure the way ahead is clear."

* * *

The trappers finally regrouped on the eastern side of the island. Everyone was accounted for except Nicole, who was nowhere to be seen. Beyond the trees they could see the _Tempest,_ fully repaired, anchored off shore and with a few rowboats on the beach they could get back on board with, and escape from this crazy archipelago. They wouldn't leave without the Captain – she'd kill them – but they couldn't leave anyway, because between them and their ship were several dragons. Four of the ones they'd captured and lost, as well as the ones with Vikings riding them.

"You know we know you're there" Brenda called out to them. "Come on out. They're not going to attack you. Do you want an apology or not?"

That last, Gelvira took as a direct challenge. Squaring her shoulders as best she could with an injured arm, she strode out onto the beach, head held high. Slit-pupilled eyes landed on her and she slowed to a stop, watching them just as warily. When the dragons made no move, she risked looking at Brenda and tersely prompted, "Well? Make that dragon apologise, now."

Brenda shook her head. "Uh-uh, that wasn't the deal. You have to apologise first, and mean it" she insisted, making a 'go on' gesture.

Pursing her lips, Gelvira faced the Sand Wraith. " _Fine_. If it'll get me out of here…Listen, dragon" –

"Her name's Oasis."

Shooting a glare at the blonde, she nonetheless reluctantly corrected herself. "Listen, _Oasis._ " Surprisingly, the dragon seemed to respond, tilting its head to the side. "I helped, break, your wing" she said; she pointed at herself, mimed snapping something, and pointed at the dragon's wing. It hissed at her.

Frustrated, she said out of the side of her mouth towards Brenda, "This is ridiculous. It's a _dragon_ , it can't understand me."

" _She_ understands you just fine" Brenda retorted, "even without the silly gestures. Look, just…just pretend you're talking to a human. Can you do that?"

 _Pretend it's a human, she says._ "I can't believe I'm doing this" Gelvira muttered, before saying aloud to the dragon, "You attacked me and broke my arm. This girl is telling me you did it to get revenge for me breaking your wing. But you didn't have to break my arm. I had orders to break your wing. I had no choice."

The Sand Wraith stared at her, head still tipped to the side. The male growled softly, eyes flicking between Gelvira and his mate. One wrong move and he'd be tearing her throat out for sure. Brenda spoke up again. "Tell her your Alpha made you do it. She'll understand that better" the girl advised.

Not knowing how that would help, but having (almost) nothing to lose, Gelvira tried it. "My…Alpha…told me to break your wing." She assumed by 'Alpha', the rider meant her captain; the highest person on the pecking order. "If we had refused, we'd have been punished."

Incredibly, the Sand Wraith actually responded. Her pupils flickered from slits to black pools and back, and she made a strange half-growl, half-moan sort of sound. The male snarled a bit, but the female nudged him with her good wing and snapped at him. She stared at Gelvira again, whining. _Might as well get it over with_ the huntress thought. "I'm…sorry, that I broke your wing."

The Sand Wraith blinked, and crooned, lowering her head. Gelvira looked at Brenda and said impatiently, "There, I apologised. Happy? Now it's your turn."

"You're right, a deal's a deal" Brenda replied, pacifying. "Oasis?" she cooed, "I know the horrid lady broke your wing, but she did say sorry, so now you need to apologise for breaking her arm, okay?"

*Please, Oasis. All you have to do is say sorry, that's all* Shimmer encouraged. The drakaina whined and shifted from foot to foot. *How can I do that? She won't understand!*

*Brenda will make her understand.*

Still doubtful, Oasis stepped forwards. She ignored Sirocco's protests and lowered her body, tilting her jaw up and whining. *I'm sorry I broke your arm.*

Gelvira stared at her, and then at Brenda. "What is this?" she demanded.

"An apology, of course. Well, what were you expecting? For her to actually say 'sorry' out loud?" Actually, Shimmer told her that Oasis had pretty much done just that, but if she claimed dragons could talk with their minds then she'd lose the woman entirely. "Dragons talk with their bodies and their sounds. Crouching down, baring her throat, whining – it's all her way of saying 'I'm sorry.' Get it?"

It made sense, Gelvira supposed. "How do I know this isn't something you trained her to do?" she asked suspiciously.

Brenda threw her hands up and declared, "You're gonna have to trust me. Just accept her apology; the sooner you do that, the sooner we can go our separate ways" she said impatiently.

 _These people are insufferable_. "Apology accepted" Gelvira said curtly. Oasis lifted her head again, and Sirocco padded over to lick at her and make sure she was alright. *I can't tell if she means it* she complained to Shimmer and Brenda.

"Not so fast" the young shield-maiden declared, "You've gotta show her you mean it; that you're sorry, and that you forgive her. You've gotta touch her."

The hunters gasped; the dragons recoiled as well. "Are you insane?" Gelvira cried. _What kind of question is that? Of course she is_.

"Are you scared?" she shot back. One of Hiccup's lessons had been about not offending the people whose minds they were trying to change, but as much as she liked Hiccup, he could be rather idealistic. Sometimes a good insult or jab to the pride was just what stubborn folk needed to get their heads out of their asses. It wasn't like she was asking the woman to be Oasis' best friend.

Gelvira's eyes narrowed. "I am _not_ scared" she insisted, "but you can't seriously expect me to just reach out and… _pet_ a dragon. I've already had my arm broken, I have no wish to lose my other hand to boot."

"Aargh!" Braun groaned in frustration, stomping forwards. "You trappers are killing us!" His dragon flamed up and snarled before he added, "It's a figure of speech, Firestorm", at which point the Fire-Scale doused himself and ducked his head, looking sheepish.

Braun rounded on Gelvira and the other trappers. "Do you really not get it? They aren't going to hurt you! She just _showed_ you she's sorry for breaking your arm, and it's not even…okay, you want someone to blame? Letting the dragons have vengeance was _my_ idea. Don't blame Oasis, blame me. Go ahead. Punch me in the face for all I care, but – _ow!_ "

He staggered backwards, clutching at his face. A rivulet of blood was already sliding down from his nostrils. "You know, I do feel better" Gelvira remarked, shaking out her fingers. Braun stared at her in shock, and then glared at Brenda when she sniggered at him.

Firestorm growled. *I'll protect you, Braun!* he cried, trying to get between his rider and Gelvira. "Whoa! Firestorm, down! No roasting her. I'm fine, and I _was_ pretty much asking for it."

*You're bleeding. Let me help* the Fire-Scale insisted, leaning down to lick at the wound.

"Agh! Your tongue is going up my nose, gerroff!"

*Hold still!*

* * *

As entertaining as it was to watch Firestorm chasing Braun along the beach, Brenda told herself to focus and turned back to the matter at hand. "All you have to do is touch a dragon, and you can all get back on your ship" she told Gelvira and the assembled trappers; there was an immediate flurry of protests.

"We were just doing our jobs" Gelvira scowled at her.

"So are we" Ashildr countered. "Come on, then. You just have to do this", she demonstrated the 'trusting hand' technique with Magpies help. "It's as easy as that. If it makes you feel any better, they're just as scared of you as you are of them" Ashildr declared, though it was clear from the trapper's incredulous expressions that none of them actually believed this.

Meanwhile, their dragons were trying to convince the wild ones to let the trappers touch them. *Just let them put their fingers on your snout for a few seconds, and then pull away* Magpie encouraged, *Like my rider said, they're just as nervous. Probably more.*

The wild dragons shied away, tails lashing with agitation, fangs bared. *I won't do it* Sirocco refused, growling deep in his chest, keeping himself between the trappers and Oasis. Just because this female had apologised for breaking his other half's wing didn't mean he forgave it. Oasis meant the world to him, she was the best and most beautiful drakaina in their now lost pack, he had heart bound to her so he'd never have to be without her, and to have her hurt broke his heart, even if he hadn't been able to feel her pain. *We can't trust them!*

*I did it* a rasping voice croaked solemnly. Sirocco, Oasis and Muddie stared at Scorpia in bewilderment and surprise, as she added, *I…let a human touch me.*

*What?* the male Sand-Wing exclaimed, *Why? You _hate_ humans! Even more than I do!* he protested. What could have possibly changed her mind?

Scorpia snarled at him, but it was only bluster. *I do hate them! It's just…the humans Alpha, she froze me, she was going to kill me – and Sleuther's human jumped off his back and attacked the Alpha-Captain to defend me. He scratched my neck and I passed out, I thought I was going to die, but then I woke up and I could move and he had stopped me falling onto my bad wing. That human…Dagur…saved my life* Scorpia explained, head lowered, unusually subdued. She was struggling to come to terms with it herself.

*That doesn't make me feel any better* Sirocco complained. *You said their Alpha tried to kill you! They'll try to kill us, they have blades!*

*And you have claws* Gurgle pointed out, *and fangs and fire. You can choose not to use them. Just like the humans can choose not to use their blades.*

Shimmer encouraged, *Sirocco, please, think about it. These are not good humans, but they are not very bad humans either. If they wanted to hurt you, or kill you – any of you - wouldn't they have already done that?*

He stared at her. In the meantime, the diplomats and trappers had been arguing over touching the dragons, and Brenda was sick of it. She whistled to get Shimmer's attention, and gave her two hand signals – one for _fire,_ and one for _up._ *Right* Shimmer agreed, happy she could let her rider know she understand, and craned her neck back.

When she spat a gout of bright, hot flame straight up in the air, someone or more screamed, and then everyone went silent. "Okay! Thanks, Shimmer. Now that I've got your attention, can we all just calm down?" Brenda inquired rhetorically. Sucking in a deep breath, she turned to her fellow diplomats. "Guys, this isn't working. We're gonna have to compromise."

Then, she looked at the trappers; by now Gelvira had retreated back towards her comrades, and away from the snarling, agitated dragons. "Can one of you please tell me, what exactly it is you're afraid of? It's not like you've never touched these dragons before. You painted one of them black, for goodness sake" she pointed out.

For a few moments nobody spoke. "That was different" Ildaria claimed at last, "The dragon was unconscious."

"And they were unconscious when we…grounded them" Cristóbal continued, keeping his voice level. "But now, you expect us to make ourselves vulnerable, to touch them when they're awake and aware, and able to hurt us."

"Oh, so it's okay for you to hurt them, but not the other way around?" Braun scoffed, returning from a brief wrestling bout with Firestorm. His dragon won.

Brenda pressed on before yet another argument could start. "But don't you guys see? We're asking _them_ to make themselves vulnerable too. If they were going to attack you, don't you think they would have done it by now?" she asked. To her gratification, she noticed several of the trappers looking thoughtful at this. "Okay, how about this. You", she pointed at Gelvira, "were so close. If you can touch Oasis, then all of you can go back to your ship."

Gelvira hesitated, eyes roving between the Sand Wraith and the shield-maiden. She shook her head. "I can't. I _can't_. Not like that. Even if the reason you gave is true…that dragon broke my arm. It mauled me. I can't just…forget that, apology or not" she insisted, unwittingly echoing Sirocco's own sentiments.

Brenda sighed, wondering if they should just give it up as a lost cause. Until…"I'll do it" Clarencia declared, stepping forwards boldly. She wasn't much older than Brenda herself. "I'll touch a dragon. I'll…I'll touch the Mudraker."

 _Oh thank Freya._ "Really? Great! Right, you pet Muddie, and you can all sail off into the sunset. Uh, y'know, you're not gonna be able to touch him from over there, right?" Brenda asked pointedly.

Clarencia blushed. "Oh! Right. Yes. Okay." Biting her lip, she began to stride forwards. Her brother reached out and grabbed at her elbow, but she shrugged him off. Ignoring his protests, and the twitching urge of her hand to grab a weapon, Clarencia walked towards the Mudraker. The purple dragon lumbered forwards, snorting at her and pawing at the sand. Was it going to charge at her?

When she was as close as she could bring herself to get, Clarencia paused. _Okay. Now I just have to hold my hand out...easy. No problem_ she told herself. Trembling fingers inched their way towards the dragon, who was still a few feet away. Far enough for her to leap away if it lunged at her, the way it had when it ambushed her in the swamp and dragged her in, leaving her stranded and sinking in mud. _Oh, God. What if it hauls me into the sea?!_

"Clarencia, you idiot! Get out of there!" Cristóbal yelled at her. It didn't have the desired effect; if anything, it made her more determined. He might be her elder brother, but that didn't mean she would let him treat her like a child. Such was her indignation that she looked over her shoulder to protest, and tell him _he_ was an idiot if he thought she would back down now.

Then she felt scales against her palm, and gasped. The Mudraker had pressed his muzzle to her hand when she wasn't watching. He gurgled and rubbed his snout against her fingers, whining. "He wants you to scratch him" Brenda explained, when Clarencia glanced at her questioningly. Uncertainly, the young woman obliged, and was amazed to feel and hear the dragon purring.

"See? It's not so bad, is it?" Margret said kindly. Clarencia didn't say anything, but she nodded slowly. In truth she'd volunteered more as a way to face her fears - how could she call herself a dragon trapper if she was afraid of dragons? – but now she was beginning to think the dragon rider's way was a bit better.

Brenda declared, "Well done! You all saw that, right?" she asked the assembled trappers. "He didn't hurt her. He didn't even _try_ to hurt her. You've still gotta be careful, obviously; not every dragon is as friendly as Muddie here. Okay, a deal is a deal. We won't stop you from leaving, but if you want to stay for a bit longer, we can show you how our dragons can understand us."

Cateline protested, "We can't leave anyway, not without Nicole. So why don't you just hop on your dragons and find her, and lead her to us so we can" –

She never finished, because just then there came a draconic cry, and the Night Furies they'd come all this way to fail to capture flee down and alighted on the sand. On the back of the male there sat the mysterious masked rider…and jaws dropped as a passenger climbed down, smoothing down her long ebony tresses.

"Nicole!" exclaimed Cateline, rushing forwards, heedless of the dragons now. "Oh thank God, are you alright? I rushed straight back to where I last saw you but you were gone, so were the Triple Stryke's and that loud-mouthed dragon rider. What _happened_ to you?"

"Compose yourself, please, Cateline. You know I can't abide hysterics (2)" Nicole replied coolly. She gestured to herself and explained "I'm perfectly fine, as you can see. If you must know, the Night Fury took me for a spin. It was quite an eye-opening experience."

"It took you for…" Cateline looked past Nicole at the Night Furies and the masked rider. "Nicole, is that…?"

" _Later"_ Nicole hissed with a warning look. Then she stepped past the bewildered Cateline and strode towards the dragons with purposeful steps. They bristled, and the Mudraker retreated; they knew her as the leader of the ones who had captured them, and they were wary.

To the surprise of everyone, perhaps especially the dragons themselves, Nicole faced the female Triple Stryke with her head held high and said clearly, "I am sorry I tried to kill you. Although you _were_ trying to kill me, I made you defenceless and would have slain you out of petty revenge. That was dishonourable. You are a worthy opponent, Scorpia."

All jaws dropped, human and dragon alike. A tense few moments followed, but then…Scorpia bowed to Nicole, just as Oasis had bowed in apology to Gelvira. She inclined her head in acknowledgement, before turning her back on the dragons and walking back to address her crew. They were all staring at her as if she'd grown a second head, and she relished the attention.

"Alright, listen up! Things are going to change, starting now. I'm going with the dragon riders to their island to talk to their chief. As for you lot, get back on board the _Tempest_ and make sure she's seaworthy. Start sailing southwards. I'll catch up. I will answer your questions later, if I so choose" she declared, cutting them off pre-emptively. "You have your orders. Cateline, you're in charge."

"Uh…" The first mate was still taken aback by the captains' change of heart. "Yes, ma'am!" Cateline saluted. "You heard her, maggots! Let's get a move on!"

The dragons moved aside, giving the trappers a clear path to the rowboats. There was enough room for all of them; these were their own boats, after all. Cateline stood in the prow of one and kept her eyes on Nicole, standing on the beach. _I hope you know what you're doing, old friend._

* * *

When the trappers had rowed all the way to the ship and begun climbing up to the deck, Toothless-Hiccup and Selena approached the group left on the shore. Hiccup lifted his helmet off, made a half-hearted attempt to smooth his hair, and commented, "That went better than I expected."

"I told you they wouldn't put up too much of a fuss" Nicole smirked. "I've taught them well. I'm sure they'll be pestering me once I'm back on the ship and can't get away, of course" she said airily.

The diplomats were still there, of course. "Sir?" asked Brenda, looking from Hiccup to Nicole and back with a bewildered frown. "What's going on?"

"It's alright, Brenda" he reassured her and the others, "I just decided to take Otto's advice, that's all. Everyone, this is Captain Nicole Stormheart. Nicole, these are the dragon diplomats. Brenda, Braun, Otto, Ashildr and Margret."

Nicole nodded to them in greeting, undisturbed by the still-confused and distrusting looks she was getting. One boy asked, "My advice? What are you…do you mean what I said earlier? About…can she hear thought-speak?" he questioned, pointing to Nicole and staring at Hiccup in disbelief.

They were all staring at him, actually, and Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well…yes, actually" he confessed. Nicole knew the dragons were aware; she had heard Toothless warn the wilder ones not to attack her, that she came in peace. She was interested to see how the Dragon Whisperer's followers would react. The women and the brown haired youth were surprised, but they trusted their leader's judgement. The black haired boy, however…

"No offence, sir, but are you mad? She trespassed on my island, she had them hurt these dragons and used them as bait – she took your dragon, you go berserk when that happens!" Braun protested to Hiccup.

"Feeling a little offended over here."

"It's a figure of speech, Otto!" Braun snapped back. Turning back to Hiccup, he demanded to know "What in the name of Thor happened to 'I can't let them hear thought-speak because we can't trust them'?"

Patiently, Hiccup replied "I'm allowed to change my mind, aren't I? Nicole had plenty of opportunities to lie to us, to harm us severely, and she took none of them. That gave me reason to believe she could be trustworthy, if given the chance. But rest assured I intend to keep an eye on her, whilst I can."

Feeling she should speak in her own defence, Nicole stepped forwards. "I'm guessing you're from Outcast Island" she addressed Braun, who scowled at her.

"Yeah, and we don't take kindly to trespassers" he glared. The orange-red Monstrous Nightmare behind him flamed up and snarled, which was rather more imposing than the dragon saying *Yeah, what he said!*

The blonde diplomat, Brenda, remarked teasingly "The Outcasts only like trespassing when they're the ones doing it." She and the others sniggered, as did their dragons, much to Braun's indignation.

"Shut up!"

After unleashing a death glare on his friends – that went utterly ignored – Braun turned back to Nicole. He folded his arms and scowled at her, silently demanding an apology and trying to ignore how pretty she was. _I wouldn't mind her trespassing on my territory_ – the thought flitted across his brain and was ruthlessly squashed. _Bad imagination, bad!_

The smile she gave him did nothing to put his mind at ease. "You're right, my crew and I did trespass on your island. But really, did we do any harm? Nobody was hurt, we didn't take any dragons – all we did was cut down and burn a tree. Just one measly tree; that's not so bad, surely?"

"Uh…" Well, when she put it like that… _No! Don't let her fool you!_ "You could have bought a tree from my people" Braun tried to protest.

Ashildr asked incredulously, "Since when do the Outcasts sell trees?"

"Firestorm, attack!" Braun cried, pointing dramatically at her. His dragon did nothing except stare at him.

*I thought you said you didn't want us to attack people just because you told us to. Make up your mind!*

"Argh! Fight with Magpie, then!"

*Works for me!* Firestorm growled, lunging. The Spike-Tail leapt aside and rushed at him, both dragons snapping and snarling at each other, fighting on their riders behalf's and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Hiccup asked, "What's Firestorm talking about?"

"Oh, that" Ashildr rolled her eyes. "One of the trappers said getting humans to live with dragons is a bad idea; that the people who had dragons would just use them to attack people who didn't. But dragons wouldn't let themselves be used like that…right?"

"The only time I've seen dragons obey humans so blindly, they also had a powerful alpha making them submissive" Hiccup replied, "I don't think they'd attack a defenceless settlement at the command of humans. Dragons raid for food or fun or because they're being made to, and how could we make dragons do anything they didn't want to?"

The diplomats were reassured by this, but Nicole was not. Before she could say anything though, she noticed the male Sand Wraith was stalking her. He growled when he saw her look at him. *It's bad enough you took us from our home, and took our hatchlings away - but then you have your humans break my mate's wing and use her as bait!*

To her alarm, his jaws parted to reveal the bright orange glow of fire. *Give me _one_ good reason why I shouldn't blast you right now!*

Nicole took a step back, reaching instinctively for her swords. Riders and dragons alike cried out in protest. *Sirocco, don't!* Oasis cried out, shoving him with her unhurt shoulder. His fire faded as he stared at her in disbelief. Toothless moved between Sirocco and Nicole, growling and spreading his wings to make himself bigger, standing tall with chest out, imposing.

*I'll give you three reasons. One, hurting humans is forbidden in our territory. Two, we're trying to help her see us dragons as people, not just savage beasts. Three, if your mate tried to stop you, she obviously doesn't want you to attack Nicole. Look, I know how you feel. Whenever someone hurts or insults Hiccup, I want to rip them to shreds too, but I don't, because I know that would hurt him more. Unless he gives me permission. But he never does, the spoilsport.*

Hiccup rolled his eyes in good natured exasperation. "Nicole didn't know you're people, Sirocco. She didn't know what she did was wrong, but you know this is wrong. I know it hurts, but attacking her isn't going to bring your hatchlings back or heal Oasis' wing. It's just more needless violence. Please don't do this."

Sirocco backed down, and spat the sand out of his mouth (3). Looking over at Scorpia, he grunted incredulously. *I can't believe you're okay with this. You hunted this human female; you said humans should be killed.*

The drakaina hissed at him and ruffled her good wing agitatedly. *I do hate humans* she insisted stubbornly, *…but the human male saved me, and this one called me a worthy foe. They're still lesser than us, but if these humans have learned to respect dragons, then I've decided they can be allowed to live.*

*You're not 'allowing' anything* Toothless warned her, snarling. He turned to Hiccup and begged him, *Whatever you do, please don't let Dagur introduce her to Sparkle.*

"Why not? I think they'd get along really well."

*That's what I'm worried about!*

Nicole squared her shoulders and stepped towards Sirocco, who was being calmed and nuzzled by his other half. They both looked at her warily, but didn't attack. With a deep breath, she told them, "I'm sorry. For capturing you; for taking your hatchlings away; for having your wing broken. I didn't understand…I didn't think I was doing any harm, breeding dragons."

She was no stranger to slavery. In her youth she'd sworn to never be her mother; as an adult she had relented, because surviving was more important than her pride. By the time Nicole realised that she'd been enslaved, more or less, by the brothel's owner, it was too late. She'd escaped, joined a ship's crew instead and worked her way up the ranks, but she had sworn off keeping slaves.

It didn't matter with the dragons because they weren't people - but now, they were. She _had_ been trafficking people, the way she was once. She had taken their children from them and sold those children into slavery as well. Less scrupulous people might have dismissed it all; some people were slaves, that was that – but Nicole just couldn't. She was cunning, and ruthless when she needed to be, but she wasn't a _monster_.

She didn't expect them to forgive her, so she was surprised when the female…when Oasis nuzzled her mate encouragingly, and Sirocco looked at her. *I still don't like you, but if you're really sorry, I accept your apology. But if you come after my other half again…* he growled, moving between Nicole and Oasis. She rolled her eyes and nipped at him. *I can take care of myself, dear.*

"I won't" Nicole replied. She looked at Hiccup, who nodded and turned to the others, wild dragons and ridden ones alike, and the diplomats. Between them it was decided that the wild dragons would stay here rather than return to Berk, and the humans would bring food and herbs to dull the pain of Oasis' and Scorpia's broken wings. They had quite a high pain tolerance, though.

Nicole climbed onto Toothless' back behind Hiccup, and they took off to wing towards Berk, accompanied by the young riders getting fish for the wild dragons. It still felt incredible to be up in the sky, and if she didn't have her ship, she'd almost want to train a dragon to fly with herself. She couldn't have both…could she?

* * *

Back on Berk, Nicole stood before the council once more, only this time not in chains. She told them all she knew of Adulfr's schemes, and suggested she not pull out of her 'business deal' with him, at least not straightaway. Better to let their enemy believe her an ally of his, not theirs. Astrid was wary – she didn't trust Nicole at all – but in the end, the council agreed having a spy would help.

Hiccup had taught Gonzales to answer yes or no questions with a nod or shake of his head, so she could convince her crew that dragons really could understand people. Nicole was surprised they were letting her keep the Stinger, until Hiccup explained that Gonzales considered her his Queen. "He's loyal to you. He's chosen you, he's _your_ dragon."

To Nicole's gratification, Hiccup also presented her with a small chest full of gold. "You'll probably need a lot more supplies to get you all the way back to the Med, and we didn't have much to spare" he explained, "but you can buy more with this. Oh, and you should get in touch with my friend Eret and his crew. They're dragon wranglers; you guys could do the same thing, just further south." Hiccup handed her a map with the ports the _Crashing Tide_ docked at.

"I'll keep it in mind" she nodded. Nearby, Astrid was waiting with Stormfly to take her back to her ship. "You are nothing like I expected, Dragon Whisperer. It's been an honour" Nicole smirked, holding a hand out to shake.

Hiccup shook her hand. Nicole saluted him – he returned it with a grin – and then walked over to Astrid and Stormfly, handing the chest up to the chief and hauling herself up onto the dragon's back. Whoever thought she'd be riding dragons? God knew what her crew would say. They'd probably think her mad.

* * *

Later that day, Hiccup was approached by Brenda, who found him and Toothless breaking up a fight over a boar one Fire-Scale had caught and two Spike-Tails wanted. It involved Toothless taking on the Nightmare and Hiccup getting right between the squabbling Nadders, fire sword out and blazing to distract them.

"Sorry about that, Brenda" Hiccup said apologetically, as one of the Spike-Tails licked at a scratch on his hand. If one of the dragons hurt him by accident, he made a point to let them lick the wound, because he didn't want to lose trust in them. He had a good flock. "How are our wild friends getting along?"

"They're doing well" she nodded, "Muddie's really taken a liking to the swamp there. He says he wants to stay, but he wants Aceso to be there too, and he wants Skulder to scratch him more. Scorpia told us to go away. Oh, and Sirocco and Oasis were arguing over whether they should stay or not. He wants to find their home, but she says she's tired of sand."

Pausing to dismiss the dragons – with a chunk of boar between them – Hiccup replied "I'll see if I can get Aceso and her hatchlings moved out to Dogshead Island. As for Skulder, he told me he's gotten a bit fond of Muddie himself, so maybe I can work with them. Don't worry about Scorpia, she's probably just trying to salvage her pride. And I don't mind if Oasis and Sirocco stay or leave, but obviously if they do stay, they'll need to pledge to Toothless and I."

Brenda stared at him with a very amused expression. "You don't know what I just said, do you?"

"What? Of course I do, I just replied."

*Yes, you did* agreed Toothless, *but you didn't notice she said the dragons told her all that stuff.*

"Exactly. Thanks, Toothless."

*You're welcome.*

Hiccup's mouth fell open. "But that's…you can still hear them?!"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you!" she laughed.

*Alpha-Hiccup, I'm sure you told us that our riders would only hear us for a short time* remarked Shimmer, *but all of them can still hear us.*

"She's right. The other guys flew back to their own islands, though, to see if they could understand the dragons there as well."

Hiccup almost couldn't believe it. "This is…this is incredible! I thought – it must be because I formed the link between you and Shimmer, but you're both keeping it open" he figured out. "Brenda, do you know what this means?"

"…No?"

"It _means_ ", Hiccup could not wipe the grin off his face, "that I have a way to let more people hear thought-speak permanently! (4)" Giddy, he hugged her out of the blue. "You're amazing. Thank you. Well done. Toothless, come on! I've gotta tell Dagur about this!"

Before she knew it, the Alphas had taken off. "Wha- hey! Wait for us! We're your proof!" Brenda cried, mounting up and urging Shimmer to follow them.

* * *

"You failed, then."

Nicole and Adulfr faced off against each other on the deck of his ship. She glared at him through narrowed eyes, as he looked at her with a smug expression. "They had scouts" she replied curtly. "The plan would have succeeded, but we had hardly left that island before eleven dragons set upon us, and then three more. If you had given us a few more ships we might have salvaged this."

Adulfr pursed his lips. "Would have. Might have. It would be such a shame for you to prove to be as useless as Harald. I expected better. And what of the Dragon Whisperer?" he inquired, spitting the title as if it were a curse.

Nicole shook her head. "Never saw one. Red tailed Night Fury, yes. Mysterious one legged rider, no. Face it, your mortal enemy is, well, _mortal._ He's dead."

Adulfr scowled, and stepped past her, looking out towards the northern horizon. Skadi sniffed at his hand and he gripped the fur on the back of her neck. He did not believe Haddock was dead; the man would not let himself be defeated so easily. Nicole was lying; she had been corrupted by _them_.

Still, no matter. Nicole could still prove useful in drawing Haddock and his precious Night Fury into the open. Or perhaps, Adulfr considered, he should keep to his original plan. _After all, there's more than one way to skin a dragon._

* * *

(1) I've never broken my arm (touch wood), so I don't know if it would hurt enough to make it hard to speak, but if it does let's just assume there were pain dulling herbs with the bandages, 'kay?

(2) Unless she's the one being hysterical, apparently ;)

(3) Sand Wraiths shoot chunks of hot sand – hot enough to become glass.

(4) I've been wanting to introduce this for a while, but I couldn't figure out how, so I figured why not have them discover it by accident? That's how some of the best discoveries were made, after all.


End file.
